Territorial Alignment and Generational Synergy in the Body of Christ. Yes!

February 25th, 2023

By: David Hoskins

I have been asking myself of late, why is it that the body of Christ struggles so much with ecumenical gatherings that attempt to reach across ethnic, religious, generational, and tribal lines?

The answer I am finding is extraordinarily difficult to understand and even more challenging to articulate.

I am not an academic or a theologian. My role in the body of Christ is one of apostolic practitioner. By this, I mean that I work in a hands-on way with leaders and influencers to help them develop spiritual models of discipleship for the advancement of the kingdom of God in the hearts of men and society. I work largely in native and Hispanic cultures in several nations, which gives me a unique vantage when it comes to understanding the complexity of this question.

My background is that of an average white man from the South. I grew up in Texas, and my grandparents were from Mississippi, where, like in most of the South, racism and segregation were commonplace. You could say it was systemic in that it seemed to be a part of the social framework of everything and everywhere. Regardless of all the reforms that the civil rights movement and all the color blind laws were created to level the scales of inequality and injustice can still be felt to this day. The tensions and underpinnings of injustices of days gone by still have a residual effect about them. Prejudice and racism are still alive and well in the hearts of many. Though not as justifiable societally as it once was, racism and reverse racism are still very embedded in the hearts and thinking of many. Self segregation is the mode of many as a result.

Much injustice has been done, and the pain is very real. This residual pain leaves many with the challenging choice to rehearse the pain and the pain of their fathers or to forgive, be healed, and move forward. The problem is that the issues still exist, making the forgiveness path far more difficult as a new story is showcased in the media daily of how polarized the enemy desires for us to become.

Texas is somewhat unique because we have to deal with racism, prejudice, and segregation issues stemming from the Indian wars, Mexican wars, and slavery of many kinds, making Texas a great case study of how to discover strength amid diversity. I live in Houston, which is a port city. The ethnic diversity in the city is often likened to New York City, with neighborhoods and areas of the city being largely segregated. Houston has its own Chinatown where many of the Asian population have found one another. The only thing we are missing is Little Italy. We make up for that by having one of the largest Latino populations of migrants coming into the USA through the Texas border to pursue the American dream. They come from all over Mexico, Central, and South America searching for freedom and opportunity.

Houston is a melting pot of ethnic diversity, but we have an extreme level of religious diversity as well. Let me put it this way: we are the belt buckle of the Bible belt, and you can find a mega church on every corner. Every kind of religious ideology you can imagine is all piled up in one place.

With all the wonderful diversity in this city, you would think that we would be one of the first cities to break the back of self segregation in the body of Christ. I am sad to say that it is simply not the case thus far. It seems that politicians and haters are working hard to keep our nation as polarized as it can be.

Self segregation is a term that is a buzzword of sorts these days. The term itself can be polarizing if you try to make it political. I am using it here to simply state that birds of a feather tend to flock together. It is our nature to gather according to our tribal identities. It is a means of self-preservation. This is normal and even healthy; however, if we get too stuck in our tribal, ethnic, generational, or religious trappings, we might never discover the strength that is found as our diversities learn to band together for Kingdom purposes.

It is my conviction that the best days of the Ecclesia are tied to our corporality. One people rising in harmony and symphony under the head and cornerstone of the body, Christ Jesus our Lord, leading the way. His plan through the Holy Spirit is to raise up apostles and prophets for the implementation of the design of the kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. Sounds like an idealistic dream for us to truly discover our oneness in Christ. Heaven is intentional about us coming into the unity of the Spirit, even if we have written it off as too daunting and difficult.

Ephesians 4:1-6 (NKJV)

Walk in Unity

1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Jesus prayed for those who would believe in becoming one in Him.

John 17:20-26(NKJV)

Jesus Prays for All Believers

20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

As a spiritual leader, I am constantly challenged with striking the balance with the ministry assignments we engage, between focusing on working with those aligned with our ministry exclusively and working with leaders in cities to do things on an ecumenical level. It is much easier and rewarding to work with people who have chosen to walk in agreement together. It seems the larger and more diverse the crowd is, has greater bearing upon our ability to come into agreement. Doing citywide gatherings and training can be a lot of work with little success, so many choose to skip it altogether. The platform of gathering leaders in cities is where everything that divides us seems to jockey for center stage.

As believers, we all have the same blood of Christ circulating in our veins. You would think that racial, tribal, and religious baggage could be checked at the door, and we could press in together, but it is easier said than done. While some long for a more homogenized body of Christ, others tend to over-celebrate tribal distinctions, allowing divisiveness to rule the day. It is no wonder that so many choose self segregation as a means of finding stable ground and platforms for pocket unity.

Our tribal identities are indeed much more comfortable than our corporate, national identity; however, God describes us as a holy nation, kings and priests, a people set apart for His good pleasure. Eventually, we must press toward that mark.

1 Peter 2:9 (KJV)

9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Revelation 1:5-6 (KJV)

5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.

One of the keys to the body of Christ coming together on a regional level is for regions to be served by translocal apostolic and prophetic teams who are coming into the region from without. Leaders coming in from the outside are more key than you might imagine. Itinerate apostolic prophetic teams have a unique liberty to speak foundationally and honestly to leaders as they help them work through their carnal, ambition-drivenness. The issue is always connected with accurate alignment for kingdom advancement. The issue of alignment for assignments is about how the body connects to dislodge the enemy by moving in a more corporate symphonic way. Leadership is a key part of our national identity. This kind of co-laboring does not happen by accident. It happens because leaders are intentional and driven by the Holy Spirit to serve the body in a new way.

There was a Biblical pattern we can look at with Antioch that will help us discover the first apostolic team and the first region that came together beyond Jerusalem to advance the kingdom. The apostles in Jerusalem, upon hearing of the wonderful signs and wonders that were happening to and through the saints in Antioch, sent Paul and Barnabas into the region to help the saints develop regionally and individually. Let’s look at a few of the dynamics that were at play.

1. A team was sent in by mature apostles to establish the region

2. The team focused on equipping and giving instruction

3. The team gathered with the leaders they had raised and ministered to the Lord together regularly

4. The team moved, knew how to hear from and respond to the Holy Spirit.

5. The team walked in honor and accountability to the apostles in Jerusalem.

Part of the regional challenge comes as leaders attempt to remodel the ship while out at sea. Leaders historically have primarily operated from an organizational, church centric pattern rather than being led by translocal apostolic, prophetic leaders. This approach has limited the success and made it niche at best due to the competitive reality found in most religious organizations.

Is it possible for leaders to yield to translocal help in this day? I pray that it is. If we are not careful, we could miss this key reformational window given to us amid an increasing revival era.

Things that stand in our way are:

1. Spiritual pride causes many to believe that if God is going to do it in our region or nation, then local leaders must initiate it and steward it from the foundation. This kind of thinking does not give way to the need for translocal team assistance

2. Spiritual arrogance pushes local leaders to see themselves as walking in more grace than they do.

3. Competition, which says if anything will be done of note, then it must be done through us, our ministry, our organization.

4. Immature leaders are much more eager to lead the charge than mature ones. Without translocal help for accurate grace-based alignment, the region is left to the immature, taking the lead to display their glory.

5. Apostles and prophets continue to build from a church paradigm, which is primarily organizational rather than a kingdom paradigm, where apostles and prophets establish foundations that other leaders can help build upon.

When translocal apostolic teams are sent into regions, they have a key job to do on behalf of the saints. Translocal teams, if building from the ground up with new believers, have a much easier task than trying to serve and build amid the existing religious structures found in most cities. When building from the ground up, we tend to build in father and son styles of ministerial development, but when existing religious structures are already present, the relationships look more like fathers attempting to relate with fathers who were raised by denominations and organizations. When you add the above hindrances into the mix, it leaves the task of coming together an almost impossible task. Regions can come together for a few things like coffee, donuts, niche prayer, worship, and even evangelism, as long as we stay within proper boundaries. The idea of dislodging territorial powers or becoming a city on a hill, which cannot be hidden, is not even in the spectrum or scope of most ministries.

God is fueling revival and awakening in our day, setting up one of the greatest moves the body of Christ has ever seen. Do not believe for a minute that reformation will not be a key ingredient of the coming move. It will be an absolute necessity.

The only thing standing in our way is a corrupt priesthood, which will not give way to a true new wineskin, which is readied for the new wine of His Spirit and power to be poured out upon us.

The issue with the season that we find ourselves in is much like the times of Saul when God was transitioning the kingdom out of the hands of those who were in it for their gain and into the hands of those who would move with the Lord. Eli, the priest, found himself and his house judged during those key times of transition, as did Saul. The reason is that they would not embrace the new. Not only did they refuse to embrace the new, they ardently fought against it. Those times were a time when God raised the prophet Samuel and called upon him to kick off a key reformational shift into the life of the people of Israel. He began this by simultaneously setting in a new breed of leadership found in David and judging the existing corrupt self-serving structures of Saul and the priesthood of Eli.

This is the time we find ourselves in.

2 Samuel 3:1 (NKJV)

1 Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

God is looking for leaders who have a heart after him. Those who have a fear of God rather than a fear of man. Those who have a love of God rather than a love of money and power. Those who long for His presence and will embrace the fire of his glory.

The Jacob generation of Millennials is primed, ready, and full of zeal. The Isaac generation is largely excited and embracing the necessary changes needed for our pilgrimage forward; however, the Abrahamic generation, who led us through past moves, is clinging tightly to ground gained in previous seasons. A changing of the guard is happening right before our eyes.

He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and this next move needs the seasoned dream and wisdom perspective of the Abrahamic generation. We need Joshua’s and Caleb’s at heart to arise and lay hold of the new, for now is the time to cross over and dislodge the enemies of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The Isaac generation, with its ingenuity and strategy, must add vision and implementation to the dream of the Abrahamic generation. Without vision, we truly perish. Isaacs arise as now is the time for warring into destiny. We need you!

The Jacob generation is full of zeal, passion, and is fully fed up with the dead, powerless, religion of days gone by; however, we do need to take much of what we have gained in previous seasons forward. Jacob arise and align with the dream of the Abrahams and the vision of your Isaac predecessors. If you do, then you will be empowered and sent out with strength rather than a drive to one-up the generations that went before you.

We must sow honor and validation to the redemptive role of each generation if we desire God’s fulness to arise. He is an inclusive God, but He requires that we covenant with His plan rather than our own

The wineskin and motivation must shift radically to embrace the new wineskin forming on the earth, but we must realize the importance of bringing the pure components of the old into this new, exciting season.

It will take the Abraham’s and Isaac’s to secure this important dimension of the reformational process. Make no doubt about it: the millennials will be the point of the spear. They will be like the wind

In the sails of taking the gospel of the kingdom to those who are primed and ready for a touch from the Holy Spirit. The world is ready to be inaugurated into an ever-increasing kingdom that cannot be shaken.

Luke 12:32 (NKJV)

32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

God will do all of this and more. Embrace it, pursue it like a precious jewel and treasure, for the leavening effect of the kingdom changes the complexion of everything that is touched and governed by it.

Please realize that apostolic teams, when reforming existing structures and regions, must have people who have ears to hear. A people willing to engage and build the necessary connecting points. A people willing to be patient and trust that the Holy Spirit can compensate for our humanity. A people willing to move with a cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.

We must, in some ways, let go of the old to be able to apprehend the new.

Inclusivity and integration must be the banner we wave to usher in this next move.

I hear the Lord saying He will not negotiate with us forever. He is willing to leave the stiff-necked and stubborn behind and leave them their portion in the wilderness.

The trigenerational God we serve is calling out to all. May our lamp stand burn brightly to light the way for the days to come