As we continue into the season of the restoration of the apostolic ministry, we continue to go deeper in our understanding of not only what or who the apostles are to be to the Church, but what their message is today. Even though we will discover that there are different kinds of apostles who are called to different areas such as praise and worship, etc., we will find that they will be bringing those messages from an apostolic realm of revelation. They will be speaking of kingdom order in their areas of anointing.
As Church history has taught us, there is a pattern that we fall into every time there is a restoration to the Church of that which was once lost. Like a pendulum, we see the Church at first fighting the change, then going to an extreme in the “new thing” and then eventually coming back to a balance. The reason is that when it is first being accepted, it becomes almost a “fad” in the Church. The error comes when some like the sound of the new thing and want to jump on the bandwagon when they are not called to it.
When the prophetic message (I hesitate to call it a “move”) began in the 80’s, almost everyone seemed to then be a prophet. Most conferences were entitled as “Prophetic Conferences”. Some were true and most were not, and that is because there was not a true understanding of what “prophet” or “prophetic” meant. We are now beginning to see more of a balance in that area.
Now we are fully into the apostolic message and the pendulum is at the stage in its swing of coming into acceptance and going out to the extreme end. We can’t seem to find what has happened to all the pastors and evangelists because all of a sudden everyone is a prophet or an apostle. Please hear me! We need true pastors and evangelists to enter into the restoration of five-fold pastor and evangelist offices as much as we need the prophetic and apostolic. The teacher appears to be the most consistent and stable one today. STAY WITHIN YOUR ANOINTING! If you are called out into another of the five-fold areas, wait on the Lord. Find someone with a true mantle of that to which you are called and learn from them.
The Apostolic Message
I have been listening to many of those who are being called “apostle” to discern what they are preaching. I have also been reading those who are writing on the apostolic to see what they are saying and have been somewhat disappointed. I am by no means saying that this includes all, but does include most. I am also not saying that I have the whole truth on this subject, but will base the following on my calling, the present condition of the Church and the Word of God.
Most that I am hearing and reading are still preaching and teaching the same things we have been feeding on all along and therefore are not bringing change to the Church. There are now appearing more books with the same or close to the same title as “Not Many Fathers”, but are not dealing with the restoring of divine order, discipline, or change to the Church.
You’re probably thinking by now, “Apostle Paul preached salvation and those kinds of messages”. Yes, but to whom was he preaching? I guarantee that he was not preaching salvation messages to the Church! He was not preaching faith messages to the Church and he definitely was not preaching ear-tickling messages to attract more members to the Church. He was not speaking of Church growth programs or fund-raising programs to those who were saved. He was not teaching the Church leaders how to run a good nursery program or the developing of Sunday school material.
Galatians 1:9-11, “As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.”
He preached Jesus crucified and risen again to the lost! He preached salvation messages to the lost! Here is what he preached to the Church…(and is certainly not the whole list, but merely some of the main areas):
• Covenant unity: Demanding that the Church honor each other through edification and building up one another in love. He demanded that the churches maintain unity of faith and spirit.
• Discipline: Stating that those who were without discipline in the Church were illegitimate (fatherless). He also taught the leaders of the Church that they must practice discipline in their government and not let sin reign in their meetings. Church is for believers, and those who were playing games and causing division in the Church were to be “cut off from fellowship” if there was no repentance.
• Integrity of character: This began with leadership. Out of fifteen qualifications for leadership that he wrote in the books of Timothy and Titus, fourteen were dealing with integrity of character. A great deal of his message to the Church had to do with developing godly relationships with each other.
• Leaving the elementary doctrines: Not forsaking them, but leaving them and going on to maturity, being established in the truth that is present with you.
• Government and order: Much of his teaching to the Church had to do with Kingdom government and God’s divine order in His Church. He taught the Church to honor those who led them in spiritual things. He taught them to follow God’s order in submission to those in spiritual authority. He taught kingdom structure in the Church, etc. “Let all things be done decently and in order”.
If the Church is ever to be the instrument that God ordained it to be, it will have to grow up and submit to the divine order of following the apostles’ doctrine, not the doctrine of man!