ST ERKENWALD'S

Danny Silk’s book, Culture of Honor, is about relationships that release the life of Heaven into our churches. A “culture of honour” is probably not what you think it is. It is not about giving church leaders more control. “It is actually about getting rid of control and cultivating self-control and freedom” (p.212). It’s about receiving people in their God-given identities.

Honour is not something we talk about much in our independence-worshipping culture. Most of us are focused on our private relationships with God and have a hard time recognising spiritual authority. The result, according to Danny Silk, is that “we are cut off from the flow of Heaven” (p.75).

There are two signs that show we don’t embrace the culture of honour. (i) We build churches around teachers and pastors and (ii) we think our sin and mistakes are more powerful than God’s heart for us.

As a church leader, I love Bethel's clarion call to get back to the basics of signs, wonders and the demonstration of the Kingdom. And seeing how crucial the culture is to sustaining this has been so helpful. This book and the teachings are all about our character. How we deal with loving our neighbour as ourselves.

Ephesians 4:11 tells us that God has anointed some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers. Danny describes these fivefold anointings in terms of what each might do at the scene of a car accident (see pp.53-55).

There is a Biblical order to the fivefold ministries. According to Danny Silk, this order is significant. Apostles and prophets are the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20). Why? Because their anointing is focused on perceiving what is going on in Heaven and bringing that to earth. Without apostles and prophets you get a church that is built on a dysfunctional earth-to-heaven model. For example, a church built on a teacher will tend to focus on what God has done in the past and miss what He is doing now. In a church built on a pastoral anointing the people and their needs will be the main priority.

In the Biblical model the priorities are apostles (heaven), prophets (spirit world), teachers (articulating the kingdom) and workers of miracles (the supernatural activity of the believers). Heaven’s design for leadership is based on a team of diverse anointings that work together in a culture of honour to release heaven on earth.

Danny recounts a number of stories of restoration based on the principles of honour and love. They are essentially testimonies of Christians being reminded that they were once darkness but are now light (Ephesians 5:8). Restoration is about helping people clean up their messes and live as children of light. The stories of restoration in this book are mind-blowing. I’ve never come across anything like them before but as soon as I read them, and saw their fruit, I thought, “this is how Jesus wants it done.”

I’ve heard Danny teach on this and it has still left me wanting more. This book helps me understand more and helps me communicate it more. Above all of that, it helps me be changed.

Encounter God is a course for everyone, especially for those wanting to investigate Christianity, New Christians, newcomers to the church and those who want to brush up on the basics.

The course is free to attend, though you will be asked to contribute to the cost of your meal if you can afford it. So why not come and find out the real answers to your questions. Find out more