Dutch Sheets speaking about 2015: Apostolic Grace

Dutch Sheets has a prophetic word for 2015.

The video portion of this is really ugly (someone aimed a camera at a computer monitor). But the audio is clear enough to understand well.

This is worth hearing.

As usual: eat the meat and spit out the bones. There's good meat here, but there are always some bones in meat.

Apostolic Way

By Ron McKenzie

Jesus gave very clear instructions about the way that an apostolic team should do its work (Luke 10). These are probably the most ignored words in the entire New Testament.
Neighbourhood

When they are sent out into a new area, Christians should seek God to find the right neighbourhood.
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go (Luke 10:1).
Jesus appointed the seventy-two and sent (literally apostled) them out. They went everywhere he was going to go. Now that Jesus has gone and the Holy Spirit has come, apostles should go where the Holy Spirit is about to go. Being in Jerusalem is pointless, if the Holy Spirit is moving in Antioch.
Some neighbourhoods and nations are spiritually tougher than others. Jesus said,
When you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near' (Luke 10:10,11).
Apostles should not waste their efforts where they are not welcome. They should move on and find a place where the Holy Spirit is moving. Antioch is a good example of such a place, but apostles initially missed out on the opportunity (Acts 11:20-24).
Person of Peace

When they move to the chosen location, the apostles should try to establish contact with an influential person or “person of peace” in that place. Jesus commanded the seventy-two to stay in one home and not go from house to house.
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them,… When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you (Luke 10:1,2,5-6).
He had said something very similar when he sent out the twelve.
Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you (Matt 10:11-13).
The Holy Spirit will lead the apostles to a “worthy person” or “person of peace”. This is someone who is open to the gospel and who has contact and influence with other people in the area. Sometimes that person might be a Christian with a burden for their neighbourhood. The new Church will usually meet in the house of the person of peace.

Paul often went to the local synagogue to identify the worthy person. This was how he and Barnabas started a Church in the house of Lydia.
One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. When she and the members of her household were baptised, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us (Acts 16:14,15).
Lydia was the person of peace and influence and the first convert in Philippi. Paul and Barnabas established a church in her house.

Sometimes the person of peace or influence will be a town official or key business person. Publius, the chief official of Malta welcomed Paul into his home (Acts 28:7). Lydia was a successful businesswoman. In Paphos, the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God (Acts 13:6,7). Winning a person in authority for Christ will open the whole neighbourhood or village up to the gospel.

The fact that he person is at peace may be a sign that the forces of evil are not strong in that locality. This will make it an ideal place to establish a spiritual stronghold.
Stay in a House

In most cultures, the apostles would go and live in the house of the person of peace. Jesus said,
Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house (Luke 10:7).
Jesus had said the same thing to the twelve when he sent them out.
Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town (Luke 9:4).
Paul and Barnabas went to stay with Lydia. Paul went to stay with Publius. Ideally an apostolic team would accept customary offers of hospitality and stay in the house of the person of peace.

In western cultures, staying with the person of peace or influence might be too intrusive. The apostle should rent or buy a house as close as possible to the person of influence, but they would still have their meetings in the home of the person of peace.

If the rest of the apostolic team are single, they could stay with the apostle in his house. If they are married, they should find houses close by.

The apostolic team will focus their chosen locality. They will build a spiritual stronghold and form a Christian community, in which they share and care for each other. This will be a tremendous witness to the people who live around them.
Healing the Sick

Once contact has been established with the person of peace, the apostles should look for opportunities to heal the sick. Jesus said,
When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you' (Luke 10:8,9).
An apostle has authority to heal the sick, so someone should be healed, when the apostolic team moves into the new neighbourhood. The healing will often crack the neighbourhood open.

At Malta, Paul prayed for Publius’s sick father and he was healed (Acts 28:8-10). The whole island came and were healed (many would have been saved). The proconsul in Paphos believed the Gospel, when he saw a sorcerer struck blind by the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:8-12).

When people in the neighbourhood hear about the healing, they will be curious. Many others will come wanting to be healed. The apostles will take the opportunity to share the gospel and pray for them.

In most cultures, a crowd will gather. The apostle or the evangelist will preach the gospel and pray for the sick. God will confirm their preaching with signs and wonders (Mark 16:20). Jesus regularly used this method.

The apostolic team will disciple the new Christians, teaching them to live in obedience to Jesus. They will mould them together into a Church, based in the home of the person of peace. The new Church will become a community in which the life of Christ is visibly demonstrated. As households are converted, they will be drawn into this community. Seen from this perspective, becoming a Christian is becoming part of a Christian community.
Starting with the End in Mind

Apostles will start the new Church with the end in mind. The first priority of the apostolic team will be to get to the stage where they can appoint a team of elders from within the new Church to take over its leadership. Most of their energy will go into those whom they expect to become elders. The apostolic team will intensively disciple them and start to replicate their ministries in them. They will focus on developing a team containing the full range of ministries.

People with influence are important because they are likely to become leaders in the new Church. A person of peace is less likely to have a lot of personal problems that need to be sorted out before they can grow into leadership. A person with both influence and a peaceful spirit should have potential to become an elder.

The ideal is for the apostle to live with the person of peace. This would increase the intensity of their discipleship. They would see everything the apostle does and be able to join in all the apostle’s activities. Having an apostle, and perhaps a prophet, living in their house will also provide a high level of spiritual protection. These benefits will help the person of peace grow very fast.

The apostolic team will not be concerned about gathering a large number of new converts. They will be busy with those who have leadership potential, so they will not have time to disciple a large number of new converts. They will not want a lot of new converts until some of the first batch of local Christians is ready to disciple them.

A work is ‘unfinished” until local elders have been appointed (Titus 1:5). When a local eldership team is in place, it will be easier to bring people into the Church.

Apostles will not be interested in church buildings. Their focus will be on growing to the point where they are able to send out apostles again, so they will not waste time and resources on buildings. Sending out apostles and starting new Churches is more important than a place to meet. The members of the apostolic team will usually rent their houses, as they will want to be free to move on when the time is right.
Summary of the Apostolic Way

Go where the Holy Spirit is moving
Seek the person of peace
Get established in a house
Heal the sick
Preach the gospel
Make disciples
Establish a Church
Train elders
Go out again.
Effective Strategy

Jesus spelt out a very clear strategy, but implementing it will require a radical change in the mindset of the church. For a long time the goal has been to get people to come to the church to hear the gospel. The problem with this approach is that in many cultures, most non-Christians will not come into a church service.

Jesus never said we should get people to come; he always said the church should go to where the people are (Matt 28:19; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8). The advantage of the New Testament way outlined here is that the Church goes to where the people live. They will see real hard-core Christianity being lived out in their living room or in the house next door.

Ron McKenzie
Kingdom Watcher, in New Zealand

The Ministry of Apostle in Contemporary Times

The book of Ephesians 4:10-16 teaches us that the ministry gift of apostle will continue to function so that Christ can fill all things (every realm of society) until we come to full maturity in Christ as a church. Obviously these two things have not yet happened. So the question arises: What would the ministry of apostle look like in today’s world?

Without qualifying all my statements due to the brevity of this article, the following are some observations and opinions I have related to this ministry in context with today’s world. There have been many wonderful books written on the subject of the fivefold ministry (my favorite is Kevin Conner’s The Church in the New Testament). Thus, there is no need for me to repeat content found in these other fine books.

Those walking in the apostolic ministry have a strong leadership gift (Romans 12:7)

They are not primarily followers who conform to the mainstream but are willing to go against culture and carve out a countercultural movement that is based on the reign of God on earth as it is in heaven (read Acts 4:19-31). Thus, they are willing to lead a strong movement even in spite of religious and political opposition.

Contemporary apostles need to be able to preach the gospel and lead countercultural movements that can deal with postmodernism (that there are no absolute truths that can be known in this world) and a post-taboo world (a classical Greek-Libertarian approach in which we live and let live; people can engage in any behavior they want with legal protection, for example same-sex marriage, abortion, euthanasia) in a manner that does not make Christians come off as ignorant, uneducated biblicists but in a cogent, compelling manner that utilizes logic, godly wisdom, current events, statistics, and artful subtlety with the power of the Word and Spirit of God.

Apostolic leaders have the ability to manage whole networks of people, congregations and ministries that are relevant to and thrive in the midst of cultural complexities because they can adapt their methods and message based on the culture in which they labor.

For example, Paul established complex apostolic networks in over 30 diverse cities in the Roman world. He had to speak messages and build churches relevant to Jews (Acts 9, 21, 28), intellects (Acts 17:16-34) and people steeped in carnality and debauchery (First and Second Corinthians). He was not just an evangelist who blessed people and then left town; he was a master builder (1 Corinthians 3:10-14) who had a long-term plan to build communities of faith in the main cities of the Roman world (Ephesus, Philippi, Corinth, Colossae, Rome, Thessalonica) so they would eventually alter the culture and turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6; 19:21-41).

In today’s world God is still using global leaders in India, Africa, Latin America, the USA, Asia and other places to start non-denominational complex apostolic networks that are driving missions across the earth.

Apostles develop new emerging leaders

When Paul met Timothy he immediately perceived that he was someone worth investing in to develop as a leader (Acts 16:1-3). Scripture teaches us that Paul's intuition was correct; we read that Timothy turned out to be Paul's best protégé (Phil. 2:19-25).

Perhaps the most important calling of apostles is to see and develop the leadership potential in others.

In today's contemporary, fatherless world apostolic leaders are going to have to learn how to be fathers who can re-parent and bring healing to the fatherless, so potential leaders will have the internal affirmation necessary to become great leaders.

Apostles are humble and broken, not superstars in their own minds (2 Corinthians 12:1-7)

Scripture teaches us that Paul ministered out of his weakness, not his strength. In today's world, I am skeptical of the superstar celebrity leaders who are always bragging about their ministries and accomplishments. Today we need authentic, transparent apostolic leaders who minister out of their weakness, as Paul did, so the glory and power are from Christ alone and to Him alone!

Apostles have seen Jesus

In Acts 1 we see the 11 apostles attempted to choose a person that had walked and talked with Jesus personally to take the place of Judas Iscariot who fell away from his calling and committed suicide. In 1 Corinthians 9:1 and Acts 22:14 an important part of Paul's calling to the apostolic was that he had seen Jesus personally. Whether this was in the body or just a vision we don’t know (2 Corinthians 12). But the main idea is that Paul had a powerful life-changing encounter with Jesus that rooted and grounded him in the faith and gave him an intimacy with Christ that sustained him through all his trials and tribulations.

Contemporary apostles, like Moses and Paul, need to know the Lord face-to-face as a man knows his friend (Deut. 34:10) so they can clearly hear His voice and have faith to walk in great exploits, and so they are not walking in presumption and embarrass themselves and the gospel.

Apostles move in signs, wonders and miracles (Romans 15:18-20; 2 Corinthians 12:12)

Paul and the other New Testament apostles regularly moved in miraculous signs, wonders and miracles which included gifts of healings, working of miracles and casting out demons.

In contemporary times this is not only related to the aforementioned supernatural signs, but the signs of God’s providential favor—being at the right place at the right time, supernatural doors opening up, financial provisions miraculously coming for ministry projects, and great faith to see God do supernatural things in the hearts and minds of people so the great apostolic vision God has given them can be accomplished.

Apostles speak in principle what prophets prophesy by revelation

The apostolic leaders I know, like John Kelly (ICA), speak in principle words of wisdom that constantly flow out of them, even in ordinary spontaneous conversations. This is unlike many prophetic people who depend upon the Spirit to come upon them and prophesy to give a word of wisdom. Both are effective; that’s why prophets and apostles complement one another and give each other balance.

Apostles are great problem solvers and strategists

Apostolic leaders are able to look at a project and think of all contingency plans (and even have a plan A, B, C based on what happens) like no other leaders! They can take the complex and make it simple for all to understand. They are master builders who can come into a disorganized church or ministry and bring great order within a short period of time. While others see reality in bits and pieces, apostolic leaders can put all the pieces of the puzzle together; they plan ahead, see life at light speed, and see all of life like a chess player who plans ten moves ahead.

Apostles are great fundraisers and operate in the gift of faith for new territories

Apostolic leaders, like Paul, are great visionaries who can motivate people and churches to give to the things of the kingdom (read 2 Corinthians 8, 9).

I have never met a true apostle who didn’t have great vision as well as faith and strategy to believe and receive provision for the vision. This is one of the main ways to distinguish between true and false apostles. False apostles may have apostolic teaching and revelation, and call themselves apostles on their business cards. But they have never built anything of substance. True apostles not only talk but walk the walk with provision for the vision so they can build great works for the Kingdom of God. This is because they have learned to trust God to meet their needs as well as to touch the hearts of potential donors who can fund the vision.

Apostles usually don’t focus on minutia but see the big picture

Apostolic leaders usually miss the tree because they see the forest. They usually do not have much patience for one-on-one counseling unless it is with a high-level leader they are mentoring or covering. This is not because they do not have compassion but because God has wired them to focus on the big picture. Apostolic leaders are “high D” doers and are satisfied more in accomplishing tasks. If they had grace for minutia and hand-holding they would spend most of their time doing those things and would not have the emotional and spiritual energy left for the larger picture of the vision God has assigned to them. Thus, apostolic leaders have learned to nurture pastoral leaders who do the counseling, coaching and hand-holding that the congregation needs.

In closing, we need to greatly value the gift of apostle in our midst. God says this gift is so important that when He starts a work He first sets in an apostle to lay the foundation before any other office or function is established, thus ensuring that the whole building will have the proper foundation (read 1 Corinthians 12:28).

By Joseph Mattera

Comment: It's apparent that Joseph has some good insights here, and a good description of an apostle. Some would say that the apostolic gift is so varied - different assignments bring out different aspects of this complex gift - that other descriptions, quite different descriptions, may also be helpful.

The Characteristics of an Apostle

By Gene Edwards
from The Early Church

One of the biggest problems of our day, among a multitude of big problems, is the fact that no one is really qualified to be serving the Lord. The servants of God in this age universally lack experience in really deep encounter with the living Christ. They lack complete abandonment to Him. Even beyond these deficiencies and dozens more, the Christians of this age haven’t the vaguest idea of what God’s central burden is! They do not have a vision of the centrality of His church. The preparation modern ministers receive before entering the ministry is almost 100 percent ineffective, if not useless, in light of God’s purpose.

I have chosen to list here the characteristics of a true Apostle. The portrait is based on the lives of Apostles of the first century, but you can also expect, if God is merciful enough to restore this office, to see men who bear these same marks in their lives today.

When you have finished reading this list you will have, not only a good idea of what to expect in an apostle’s life, but also a idea why this breed of man vanished from the pages of history so long ago.

The standard set by those first Apostles is, at the very least, ruggedly high.

Please be clear, this is not a list of “qualifications for you to meet to become an Apostle.” You could acquire all these attributes and still not be an Apostle. But it would be very hard indeed to find an Apostle who did not exhibit all of these characteristics.

If this list serves no other purpose, dear reader, perhaps it will serve to humble your heart and to stir up a seeking spirit within you.

1. An Apostle will not be young.

He will be in his late thirties or early forties before commissionship to Apostleship is even given to him! Most of his adult life until then will have been spent in preparation.

Young men ought not to serve the Lord in this capacity. Young men ought to sit, watch, experience Christ, and enjoy the church.

2. He will have spent years in the church, having fully experienced church life.

He will have been a simple brother in the church, living a normal life; he will have had a good long period of being a nobody; he will have lived under authority in the church and learned submission … just like everyone else.

3. He will not fit anybody’s preconceived image of what an Apostle should look like.

Apostles have a disconcerting way of not looking like Apostles.

4. He will be a man totally outside of the religious system.

This is imperative.

There could be no Apostleship inside that system. The two are mutually exclusive.

Why? The reasons are endless. But here is one.

Apostleship takes nothing if it does not take courage. If a man has not found the courage to step utterly, totally and completely outside the religious system, to leave it and its ways, then he hasn’t even taken step one toward a deep knowledge and experience of Christ and the church. Along with this:

5. He will not lead some organization.

He will not be the head of some organization.

He will be utterly outside of that kind of thing. No, he will not sit behind a glass-top desk, nor head any movement.

6. He will be beyond reproach in language and conduct.

7. He will have an almost inexhaustible ability to suffer and to bear the cross.

8. He will be hated.

He will hate no one. He will be widely criticized. He will criticize no one.

And he will live constantly in the skillet of this treatment. Having been abused and betrayed throughout his whole life, he will come to the end of his life still without bitterness, criticism or hurt, filled with compassion, patience, understanding and even optimism!

9. He will know the Scripture as few men in all church history have ever known it. He will be master of that Book.

At the same time, he will not “teach the Scripture” nor tell people things like “You’ve got to know the Bible to be a victorious Christian.” It is not the scripture which will characterize his ministry. You will sense that though he uses the Scripture, it is in no way the cutting-edge of his message. Oh, you may learn the Scripture from him, like you never dreamed it could be known, but he won’t be teaching you the Scripture; if you learn the Scripture; if you learn the Scripture under him it will be a byproduct, a secondary result of the fact he is showing you Christ! Christ alone will hold pre-eminence in all he says and all that he calls men to.

10. He will know Christ.

He will know Christ well, and he will know Him supremely.

11. He will minister Christ.

When he speaks, he will minister not doctrine, not creeds, not chains of interwoven verses to prove some teaching. He will speak Christ. He will tell men, show men how to know Jesus Christ. Christ will be his sole occupation, his only topic.

12. He will pray.

13. He will raise up churches.

He won’t be coming up with visions of church substitutes. No. The church will be his only obsession. He will live only to raise up the church (locatable, visible, attainable, observable; not that ectoplastic, ethereal, universal, out in the wild blue yonder goo) and to strengthen the church. He will suffer for, live for, and probably die for her and for her alone!

14. He will not hinder another man’s work.

He will in no way interfere in the life of a church raised up by other men in another city. He will not engage in conflict with other servants of God. He will leave alone the works of all other men, and he will, for the most part, steer clear of churches not raised up by his hand.

15. He will not build on another man’s work.

Apostle’s pioneer.

16. He will eventually release every church he raises up.

He will not hold the church in his hand nor use it for himself. He will eventually set it utterly free, free to Christ. How? He will leave. The people will be left utterly on their own.

17. He will not turn the churches he raises into some kind of a closely knit movement.

He will not father, or oversee, a movement.

18. He will be humble, hidden, gentle, and submissive to others.

He will not rule or dictate. He will not call for men to submit to him.

19. He will have been sent by the Holy Spirit.

20. Lastly, there will be but one proof of his Apostleship. He will raise up churches, and those churches will remain and they will flourish.

The church will stand … free of rules, regulations, organizations, or structure. There will be no specially trained men left behind who have to make sure she survives.

The church will survive, but only because she is the living Bride of Christ.

And the hallmark of those churches will be their love for one another! Such will be the general tenor of the life of an Apostle, for this is the way it was when such a species walked the earth before.

May God hasten the day when the world has to contend once more with such men. Not far behind that day will be another day, the day of the restoration of true church life on this earth.

1 Corinthians 9 and Salaries for Pastors

I want to begin this discussion by stating what should be obvious. This post represents my own interpretation, although I think it is informed by several other studies. Also, I do not believe that this should be a basis of fellowship. Without hesitation I fellowship with those who disagree with me on this topic.

To begin, let’s place 1 Corinthians 9 in its context within Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth. In 1 Conrinthians 8-10, Paul exhorts the “strong” in Corinth to consider the “weak” when making decisions. He tells the “strong” not to exercise their rights if that would hinder the faith of the “weak”. He concludes chapter 8 by saying that if eating meat would cause his brother to stumble, then Paul would never eat meat again.

This leads to chapter 9, especially verses 1-15. In this chapter, Paul gives an example from his own life. As an apostle, Paul had the right to be supported by the church in Corinth. However, he relinquished that right so that he would not be a hindrance to the spread of the gospel there (1 Cor 9:12, 15). Paul, as an example of the “strong”, gave up his right to support so that the faith of the “weak” would not be hindered.

(By the way, 2 Corinthians tells us that Paul’s refusal to accept support from the Corinthians caused some of doubt his apostleship. Nevertheless, Paul says that he would still not accept support from the Corinthians while he was in Corinth (2 Cor 11:7-9).)

As part of his argument, Paul assumes that apostles have the right to receive support (“eat and drink” – 1 Cor 9:4 – “refrain from working for a living” – 1 Cor 9:6). To reinforce this right, Paul gives several examples: a soldier does not go to war at his own expense, the one who plants a vineyard eats from the produce of the vineyard, the one who tends a flock receives milk from the flock (1 Cor 9:7), the law says not to muzzle an ox while it is threshing (1 Cor 9:9), and those who serve in the temple receive a part of the sacrificial offerings as food (1 Cor 9:13). Paul concludes his defense of “support” with the following statement: “… [T]he Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:14 ESV)

Few would disagree with my interpretation so far. In fact, most people agree on the meaning of this passage. However, problems come along when we start asking questions about the implications and significance of this passage for today.

Primarily, the disagreements revolve around the extent of the metaphors: who is like the soldier; who is like the farmer; who is like the one who herds the flock; who is like the ox; who is like the temple servants?

Many begin to answer this question with 1 Corinthians 9:14 – “[T]he Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:14 ESV) Some argue that since pastors proclaim the gospel, then they should “get their living by the gospel”, that is, they should be supported by the church. However, we should make a couple of observations about this verse before we associate it with pastors and elders.

The phrase “those who proclaim the gospel” could be associated with anyone who proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ. Or, the phrase could be limited to a certain group of people who proclaim the gospel. If we decide that the phrase references ANYONE who proclaims the gospel, then it certainly includes pastors and elders, assuming that they proclaim the gospel. However, the phrase would also include anyone who proclaims the gospel. Thus, if the phrase “those who proclaim the gospel” actually references “anyone”, then we should be prepared to support anyone who proclaims the gospel. We should not limit our support only to pastors and elders.

However, if we limit the phrase “those who proclaim the gospel” to a certain group of people, then we must explain why we limit the phrase to that group. For me, the only adequate explanation is to limit the phrase to the group discussed within its own context. What group is discussed in 1 Corinthians 9? Apostles and others who travel around. This is indicated in the first few verses of the chapter:

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? (1 Corinthians 9:1-6 ESV)

Remember that Paul is discussing his “right” to support, which he is relinquishing for the benefit of the “weak” in Corinth. According to 1 Cor 9:1-6, this “right” is shared by Paul, Barnabas, other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Peter. Notice specifically that “other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas” have the “right to take along a believing wife”. This is not discussing their right to be married, but their right to take their wife with them as they are travelling, and thus the entire family would have the right to be supported. The key here is that “the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas” are TAKING ALONG a believing wife. Paul does NOT say that they have the right to support because they are apostles, brothers of the Lord, or Peter. He says they have the right to support because they are travelling around, and thus TAKING ALONG their wives.

When discussing the ox metaphor (1 Cor 9:9) which Paul took from Deuteronomy 25:4, Richard Hays agrees that the metaphor is used in this passage with specific reference to apostles. He says:

[Deut 25:4] functions as an elegant metaphor for just the point that Paul wants to make: the ox being driven around and around on the threshing floor should not be cruelly restrained from eating the food that his own labor is making available… so, too, with apostles. (First Corinthians, 122)

Furthermore, most commentators agree that Paul takes his statement in 1 Corinthians 9:14 from eitherMatthew 10:10, Luke 10:7, or a combination of both. In both of these instances, the Lord is also giving instructions to those who are being sent away from their homes. Thus, the instructions are given to those travelling around in order to proclaim the gospel, not to those who are remaining in the same place to proclaim the gospel.

So, in the context of 1 Corinthians 9, and in the context where Paul found his command from the Lord, the reference is to those who are travelling away from home in order to proclaim the gospel. If we do not think we should give support to ANYONE who proclaims the gospel, then the only limiting group within the context is the group of believers who are travelling away from home (and their own source of income) in order to proclaim the gospel.

It is possible to decide that the phrase “those who proclaim the gospel” in 1 Cor 9:14 reference to a different limited group. However, there is no way to choose a different group from the context of 1 Corinthians 9. There is no other group listed in the context of 1 Corinthians 9. Thus, the choice of any other group (i.e. pastors, elders, teachers) would be arbitrary.

Therefore, in my interpretation, when Paul discusses his right to receive support in 1 Corinthians 9, he’s talking about a right that is possessed by those who travel away from home in order to proclaim the gospel. He is not talking about a right that is possessed by any other group of believers. Since Paul (and Peter) specifically talk of pastors and elders as being those who are chosen or recognized from among the church (in other words, they stay in their home location and do not travel from place to place), pastors and elders would not fall under the context of this passage.

Alan Knox

Organic Apostolic Networks

 - By Ron McGatlin

Can there be a truly spiritual organic church with Christ Jesus as Head in the framework of Apostolic Networks?

To answer this we will need a cohesive understanding of the definition of the terms. Words mean different things to different people, and in this time of major shifting in the worldwide church many terms being used are not clearly defined in the minds of believers.

Human or natural thinking will never fully grasp the spiritual reality behind spoken words of spiritual concepts. The Spirit is always involved in communicating spiritual truth. Therefore, we are reaching for spiritual definition words regarding the renewed formation of the works of God on Planet Earth.

Apostles and Apostolic Networks are major terms to be considered in the current reformation. The restoring of apostles and apostolic works are serious areas of concern that are in process of being defined and understood. The natural minds of most people immediately consider networks to imply structure and organization. The term apostolic is generally construed as office of authority within the network. Very soon the chief apostle concept comes into view as a headship position in the network. And not long after that the structure of additional offices of “spiritual” authority of pastor, prophet, evangelist, and teacher become considerations.

Conflicts arise in our understanding as the Holy Spirit intervenes in our process of logical natural thinking with God’s revealed spiritual concepts such as:

· The practical reality of Christ Jesus as the Head of His church

· The clergy/laity order exposed as ungodly

· The brotherhood of all believers at one level revealed

· The exposure of the business-corporation style of church as ungodly

· The religious order of the institutionalized church exposed as ungodly

· The hideous hidden mixture of sin and godliness in Christians

· The revelation that the division of godly faith practices from practical life activities such as business, home, recreation, education, and governments is inordinate.

The list goes on as greater truth continues to be revealed and one after another of our time honored beliefs and practices are seen as faulty and in need of either being dissolved or greatly altered and purified.

Our traditional concepts of leadership and networking are challenged by the biblical and spiritual revelation of these things. Therefore, we may have begun to adjust our leadership and networking ideas to some degree but may not yet be free from the old patterns of traditional natural thinking. Giving things new names and calling it spiritual is not enough.

God is not bringing us to traditional leadership and natural networks with spiritual overtones. He is not even taking us to networks based primarily on relationships with one another. If we network based on relating to one another it is very easy to begin to esteem one above another and establish invisible hierarchical order and arrangements. Yes, relating to one another is a very important secondary part of spiritual networking. But it is secondary to the individual intimately relating to King Jesus by the Holy Spirit. A spiritual relationship with one another begins with being fully connected to God through the indwelling Spirit of Christ. There is a significant difference between networking in the HOLY SPIRIT and natural networking around spiritual things.

God is seeking a Spirit network without man’s government or man’s intervention but with man’s cooperation in the Holy Spirit.

One cannot join a true spiritual network. No one can appoint someone into a spiritual network. Human recommendations will not get you into a spiritual network. A spiritual network is a spiritual thing. One is added to the network by the Holy Spirit. Spiritual networking is a connecting of spirits of just men made perfect coming together with God, Jesus, and many angels. Jesus is the mediator, and the registration desk is in heaven.

Heb 12:22-24: But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

If this seems too ethereal for us we may need to adjust and become just men made perfect (mature). We need to grow up spiritually and be fully baptized in the Holy Spirit that our spirits may assemble with the Spirit of Christ in the new covenant reality of walking IN THE SPIRIT.

The apostolic spiritual network that God is sending down from heaven under the headship of our Great Apostle is called the New Jerusalem. It is the ruling city of the worldwide kingdom of God. The patterns of all life in the kingdom emanate from the city whose builder and maker is God. Nothing enters the network that defiles. God does not visit His people there; He dwells among them. All love, all power, all wisdom dwells with His people and is imparted to us as He wills. This is the grace imparted for the purpose of ordering the world to the kingdom of God. This is Christ in us by the Holy Spirit to rule and reign with Him now on this earth.

God is not sending a replica of heaven on earth. He is sending the reality of heaven to earth in Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit in His people. God is not delegating His authority on earth. He is authority on earth dwelling in His people - His network of pure, holy, humble people who have died to the old and are alive only as Christ lives in them. In reality Christ is alive on earth living in His people who are dead and yet alive by the Spirit and abide in the Spirit of Christ.

Natural organizational gathering and networking of the church began around the third century when the Holy Spirit pulled away from the church religious systems that man had developed. Although reformation began around five centuries ago we are yet seeking to fully realign with the Holy Spirit and be cleansed of the man-made systems that have prevented the fullness of corporate life in the Holy Spirit.

All of the Christian religion group divisions of history from Catholicism’s variations to protestant religion with its many denominations and divisions such as orthodox, liturgical, evangelical, Pentecostal, charismatic, prophetic, various streams, and more recently apostolic networks have all functioned tied to natural networking. Most if not all of the historical religious groups and networks operated in something far less than the true spiritual networking of the Holy Spirit as presented in the heavenly New Jerusalem.

Most of the diverse groups of history remain today in some form, each stuck in their past experience. However, the revelation from God of restored truth has continued to advance in generation after generation toward the truth of Holy Spirit led living in the spiritual city of the living God. We are yet struggling today to return to the preeminence of Christ in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has been made out to be less significant when in reality the Spirit of God is God, and without the Holy Spirit we have nothing of Jesus and the Father in our lives today. It is the season to be transformed to live in the Spirit in the New Jerusalem lifestyle.

The Vision is for all spiritually mature believers to - Pray – Hear – Obey , and for all spiritually immature believers to be trained by the more mature (elders).

Vision of possible spiritual city-wide gatherings
Imagine the scenario of no more Sunday morning weekly church gatherings with the people divided into many different congregations. Instead think about citywide or area-wide gatherings. Now, imagine that instead of traveling from church to church the apostles or visiting sent ones move from Kingdom Revival Center to Kingdom Revival Center. OK, what is a Kingdom Revival Center? A Kingdom Revival Center (KRC) is citywide or area-wide gathering of many groups. The KRCs hold meetings as led by the Spirit, perhaps monthly, but normally not weekly. Also as the Spirit leads the KRCs may hold a series of special meetings several nights in a row. Warehouses, store fronts, and other rented or donated facilities will do for the KRC gatherings.

The many groups that gather monthly at the KRC meet individually in homes or other facilities such as businesses, barns, basements, or whatever every week or more often as led, on whatever days or evenings as led, in groups called The Groups or Jesus Groups or something generic. The Jesus Groups or The Groups are not called prayer groups or fellowship groups or Bible studies or home groups because all those names point toward and emphasis for the meetings.

This is not an organization but a pattern and, of course, there are many variations as Holy Spirit leads. Probably the most central structure to this is businesses and homes. Men who may be business people or professional people or ex-ministers can help deal with administration issues in the different areas once they grasp the general pattern which will have many variations as the Spirit shapes them for each different area or city.

Okay, this is all from the vision or dreaming process, but it will check out with God and is a start to losing our old mind sets.

Where is the starting point?
· Getting the vision from God,

· Getting excited about the vision,

· Praying the vision back to God,

· Preaching the vision everywhere you preach,

· Sharing the vision with individuals,

· Write the vision and publish it,

· Move with the vision when the opportunity presents itself, · Stay on track with no other diversionary visions.

Where are the resources for all this?
The people and the money are locked up in church buildings, operating expenses, and leadership salaries. Traditional church leaders will cooperate as they catch the vision see the work of God becoming a real organic spiritual network led by the Holy Spirit with many men and women arising from the pews and fulfilling the call on their lives in the groups. The elders would lead the immature in the groups to intimate relationship with Jesus as their Lord and Head of the church (ekklesia). These ones are trained but sitting in pews in traditional churches. These are powerful assets to be released to the Body of Christ.

The facilities already exist in homes for the group meetings and businesses or rented halls and stadiums for the citywide or area-wide gatherings of the groups.

Pray – Hear – Obey Ask God for a vision and pray for the vision He gives you. Listen and move in obedience in the next step He reveals to you. Wait upon Him, and watch for the next step to open before you.

As the declining economic conditions erode the lifestyles and available funds of families, all these things will move in the direction of the vision of God for an organic spiritual network of believers to bring in and train the harvest of souls in the gospel of the kingdom.

Keep on pursuing love.
It never fails.

Ron McGatlin

www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

So You Want to be an Apostle?

by Teresa Seputis

Apostles get to do some really neat things. They get to be leaders, establish doctrine, perform signs and wonders, teach and equip believers, impart spiritual anointings into others, preach, prophesy, etc. So it is not surprising that a lot of believers wish the Lord would appoint them as apostles. After all, we are all hungry for God, hungry to be close to Him, to hear His voice clearly, to move in His power and anointing. We desire to "be all that we can be" in Christ. So it is natural that many desire the "apostle" job description.

At least, it is natural for many to desire the "up side" of being an apostle. But did you know that there is a hefty down side as well? Someone once explained it to me this way: "You have to 'pay a price' to be anything significant in the Body of Christ." God is looking for those who are willing to count the cost and then pay the price. He can't use us until He refines us, and there is always a big price tag in being refined. The greater the call of God you desire on your life, the bigger the 'price tag' for it will be.

Let's look at some of the "costs" of being an apostle. There are many costs that we will not cover, but here are five worth noting:

1. Many Apostles Work Hard And Are Never Recognized By Church At Large
2. Some Apostles Are Called To Be Self-Supporting Instead Of Being Supported Financially By The Church
3. Some Apostles Are Given "Obscure" Kingdom Work
4. Most Apostles Are Persecuted Or Suffer For Their Faith
5. Most Apostles Are Called To Become Martyrs

Many Apostles Work Hard And Are Never Recognized By Church At Large

The first thing most people think of when they hear the word apostle is "spiritual leader" or governing authority. But most of what the apostles in the Bible did was hard work. And, similar to the prophet who is not appreciated or honored in his home town, many apostles do not get respect and honor from those they serve. In fact, a lot of apostles are taken for granted.

Paul was one of the "greatest" apostles in the book of Acts. He probably accomplished more than any of the original "12" (really 11 because Judas killed himself and Mathias was elected as his replacement). Paul planted more churches, personally lead more people to Christ, wrote more scripture and established more doctrine than any of the others. God anointed him and used him very powerfully. Yet Paul was not recognized as one of "God's greats" in his day. In fact, he was seen by many as lower than the original 12. He was not widely respected. There were times when he had to spend time justifying the fact that he called himself an apostle.

Paul wrote 1 Cor. 9:1-27 to defend his Kingdom works because they were not very appreciated. He uses a bit of sarcasm in the first half of this chapter to make the point that people look down on him and his work. He went on to share that he humbled himself voluntarily to be able to preach the gospel, that people may be saved. The reason Paul wrote this section is because he did not have the recognition and respect that should accompany his God-appointed position. Paul was taken for granted, he was not appreciated, even though he may have very well been the most powerful and effective apostle who ever lived.

Again in 2 Cor. 12 we see Paul defending his ministry, giving his spiritual qualifications and also his demonstrations of God's authority. For instance, Paul reminded the church at Corinth of the signs, wonders and miracles he did among them in verse 12. He shared how he poured himself out for them, but they didn't seem to appreciate it. In verse 15, he cried out, "So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less?" In other words, he was saying that all of his self-sacrifice and hard work was not appreciated.

In Gal. 2:8 we see Paul had to define himself as an apostle, because he was not automatically recognized as one, "For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles."

Some Apostles Are Called To Be Financially Self-Supporting

There were times where Paul worked a full-time secular job and then would spend his off hours preaching and evangelizing. He did this in Corinth. Acts 18:2-4 says, "And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them. So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks."

Technically, Paul should have been supported by the church because of the important Kingdom work he was doing. He even argued that point in 1 Cor. 9:6-12. But, for the sake of the gospel, Paul humbled himself and took a secular job so he might support his "real" job of doing Kingdom work.

Today, we find that God gives apostolic calls and mandates to some people. Once they have received this call, they do not let anything stop them from achieving it. If the funding (the finances) is not there, they go out and work a secular job to finance the ministry. Ideally they should be supported for the Kingdom work they do (see 1 Cor. 9:6-12). But if the support is not there -- and often it is not there -- they do not let that stop them. They go out and work a secular job to "pay the bills" and they also work a full-time ministry job to do what God has called them to do. In other words, they work hard to be able to do Kingdom work.

Some Apostles Are Given "Obscure" Kingdom Work

Jesus appointed 12 disciples, 11 of whom became apostles. Luke 3:13-16 records it as, "When morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose 12 of them, whom He also designated apostles: Simon (whom He named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor."

The book of Acts talks a lot about Peter and even more about Paul (who was not one of the original 12). But it does not talk much about the other 10 disciples.

John does get mentioned in Acts 3 where the lame beggar is healed, he is arrested with Peter in Acts 4, and ministers impartation with Peter in Acts 8. Philip is mentioned multiple times, but we are not sure which Philip is being talked about. There is Philip the apostle and one of the original seven deacons was also named Philip. For the sake of this discussion, let's assume that it is the apostle Philip who is mentioned here preaching in Samaria (Acts 8:5-12), converting and baptizing the Ethiopian (Acts 8), and on a missionary preaching journey from Azotus to Caesarea (Acts 8:40). Judas, not Judas Iscariot but the other disciple named Judas, is mentioned only twice. The book of Acts briefly mentions the two James (one is martyred in Acts 12:2, and the other James receives a message in Acts 12:17, speaks in an assembly in Acts 15:13 and is visited by Paul and Luke in Acts 21:18).

  

Five (half) of the apostles are mentioned only in Acts 1:13 as being present at the day of Pentecost when they were baptized in the Holy Spirit: Andrew, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas and Simon.

Do you realize that the Bible gives more "press" to Stephen, one of the original deacons and first martyr, than it does to most of the apostles combined? Stephen first shows up in Acts 6 as one of the original deacons. A large portion of Acts chapter 6 (verses 8-15) and all of Acts chapter 7 are devoted to Stephen. His burial is mentioned in Acts 8:2. Did Stephen have more important work than 10 of the apostles? This is just speculation on my part, but I don't believe that he did. I believe these apostles probably each had as powerful and amazing stories as Stephan did, but God choose not to make the details of their lives public to us.

Jesus spent three years personally training these 10 men. He commissioned them as apostles. It follows that God had real and significant Kingdom work for them to do. Yet the Bible is strangely silent on what that work was. I am sure it was important and foundational for God's Kingdom. But their apostolic work was obscure in the eyes of the church. It will become known and rewarded at the time when we all stand before God's throne. The point is that not all apostolic work is visible to the church at large; much of it is done obscurely, away from the "public eye."

God advances His Kingdom through His apostles, but that advancement is not usually easy. A lot of times there is opposition from men and demons. That opposition brings us to the next two costs.

Most Apostles Are Persecuted Or Suffer For Their Faith

Suffering for Christ does not sound like very much fun, does it? The truth is that God can call on any of His servants, not just the apostles, to suffer for Him. History is full of examples.

However, God frequently does call on His apostles to suffer for Him. When God commissioned Paul as an apostle, suffering was part of that commission. We read of this in Acts 9:15-16, when God sent Ananias to pray for newly converted Paul to restore his sight. It says, "But the Lord said to Ananias, 'Go! This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.'"

Paul was not the only apostle to suffer for the Lord, they all did. Acts 5:18 gives us one account. It says, "They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail." Acts 5 goes on to recount that God supernaturally delivered them from prison and sent them back out to the streets to preach. They were again arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin. They were commanded to stop preaching Jesus, refused, and were publicly beaten and released. God did not protect them from persecution and suffering, but He was with them in it. Their response is recorded in Acts 5:41. "The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name."

There are many other examples of the apostles suffering persecution, being arrested, beaten and even killed. Peter appears to have had many trips to prison. And so did the apostle Paul. In Romans 16:7, he writes, "Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was." The apostle John was imprisoned on the Island of Patmos because of his evangelistic activity (Rev 1:9). It was in that prison that John had an incredible vision of the last days, recorded in the book of Revelation.

What is the modern-day equivalent? Are the apostles of today persecuted and opposed for the Kingdom work they do? Of course they are. Physical persecution still happens in some parts of the world. Many stories have come out of China and the former Soviet Union about believers being thrown into prison, having their possessions confiscated, being beaten or sometimes killed. In other parts of the world the persecution takes other forms. Sometimes there are false rumors, slander and false accusations against them, because of the Kingdom work they are doing. Sometimes the persecution comes in the financial area. But it is my personal belief that we may once again see physical persecution (beatings, murders, arrests, etc) in the Western world in my natural lifetime. And if this occurs, it is very likely that the Lord will ask many of His apostles to suffer for His sake, that the gospel may go forth.

Most Apostles Are Called To Become Martyrs

Jesus said it Himself in Luke 11:49, "Because of this, God in His wisdom said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute'" (NIV). Paul commented on it in 1 Cor. 4:9, "For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men."

The Bible has many of examples of apostles laying down their lives for Christ. Tradition has it that most of the original 12 disciples were martyred for Christ. Right from the start of the church, the Jewish religious leaders wanted to exterminate those God was using to build His Kingdom. In Acts 5:27-33, we see that the Sanhedrin wanted to put all of the apostles to death.

There is the case of Stephen. Stephen was a deacon, not an apostle. He had received an impartation from the apostles through the laying on of hands (Acts 6:6) and began to do apostolic-type of works, preaching with power, working signs and wonders (Acts 6:8). Then Acts 6:9-13a says, "Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called) - Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, 'We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.' So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified" against him. This lead to Stephen being martyred in Acts 7. The result was that persecution came on the whole church. Acts 8:1 says, "On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria." Paul, known as Saul before his conversion, was given authority by the Sanhedrin to persecute believers. In Acts 22:4, Paul reflects on his pre-conversion persecution activities. He says, "I persecuted the followers of this way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison."

The apostles were not exempt from this persecution. King Herod executed apostle James (Acts 12:2). They were about to execute Peter, but God supernaturally rescued him (Acts 12:3-12). Tradition has it that at a later date, Peter really did lay down His life for the Lord.

Paul's life was constantly put at risk just because he was an apostle. The book of Acts chronicles many of the attacks on Paul's life. Here are just a few of them:

Acts 9:22-24

Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him.

Acts 21:30-34

The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.

Acts 23:12

The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.

Despite some people's impressions to the contrary, being an apostle is no way to (as the saying goes) "make friends and influence people." It was high risk, high cost, and involved suffering, pain and death.

I believe that the reason the opposition against the apostles was so great was because the spiritual warfare surrounding them was so great. The apostles were actively building God's Kingdom. As a side effect of their activity, Satan's kingdom was being torn down and dismantled. Satan did not want to lose his territory and that is why he fought back so vehemently.

Not a whole lot has changed. God is using apostles today to build His Kingdom, just as He did in the early days of the church. Satan's kingdom is still being torn down as God's Kingdom advances, so Satan is still going to fight back.

I believe that the Lord will ask many of His current-day apostles to lay down their lives for the gospel and become martyrs.

Closing Remarks

When you look at all the things that are part of being an apostle, it becomes a bit less glamorous. If God has called a person as an apostle, there will be a supernatural grace for the times they are asked to die to their own desires, work hard to serve ungrateful others, to work hard and receive very little appreciation or recognition, to suffer persecution or even lay down their own lives for the gospel. If God has called you to be an apostle, there is nothing to be afraid of because His anointing and grace will be on you during those difficult times. He will always equip and enable you for anything He calls you to do.

But if He has not called you to be an apostle, then perhaps you should stay clear of this very costly and very risky calling. It is far better to find out what God has called you to do and be. Then you can fulfill your destiny in His power and anointing, being highly effective for God's kingdom.

By Teresa Seputis, Godspeak International