Apostolic Teams

Bill Johnson: "Apostolic Teams - a Group of People Who Carry the Family Mission" - www.bjm.org

For centuries the people of God have gathered together around specific truths. Denominations and organizations have been formed to unite these groups of Believers. Having common belief systems (see footnote 1 at bottom) has helped to build unity within particular groups and define their purpose. Historically these groups were formed from people who were usually newly saved, or were asked to leave whatever denomination they were previously a part of.

Unity based on common doctrines has a measure of success. But there is an inherent problem with this approach - unity of this nature is based upon uniformity. When God is saying something new (see footnote 2 at bottom), those who are listening are usually asked by their leaders to leave the group they were a part of (see footnote 3 at bottom). Their newfound convictions and beliefs are considered threatening and divisive.

If the whole group doesn't move in step with what God is saying, there will be a break in fellowship. When agreement in nonessential beliefs are considered necessary for fellowship, then division is natural and to be expected. While doctrine is vitally important it is not a strong enough foundation to bear the weight of His glory that is about to be revealed through true unity.

Change is in the Air

There are major changes in the "wind" right now. For the last several years people have started to gather around fathers instead of doctrine. In the natural, it would be easy to imagine a father with two very different children - one politically liberal and the other conservative. While discussions would probably be quite lively at the evening meal, they would not bring an end to the family.

Gathering around fathers gives a stability that enables people to endure differences in opinion without falling under the influence of the spirit of offense. Fathers bring an element of peace that is impossible without them.

Spiritual Fathers

Apostles are first and foremost fathers by nature. True fathers continually make choices for the well-being of their children with little thought to personal sacrifice. They are not jealous when their children succeed, but instead are overjoyed because of those successes. It is normal for a father to desire his children to surpass him in every way. Brothers compete, fathers do not.

In the same way that a father and mother are to bring stability to a home, so the apostles and prophets are the stability of the Church. The Apostle Paul calls them the Church's foundation (see Ephesians 2:20). Good foundations bring stability. The concept of team ministry starts with these two. Stability is the primary fruit of the ministry of the apostolic team.

Team Makeup

Apostolic teams are not necessarily made up of just apostles and prophets. They are a group of people that carry the "family mission" without selfish agendas. They are sent by their leadership, and entrusted with delegated authority to establish God's rule in their realm of experience and expertise. When they go with that heart, they carry an apostolic anointing because they function under the umbrella of the apostle's authority.

We can't be co-missioned until we're in sub-mission to the primary mission. This is true of every Believer before God. But it is especially true of apostolic teams. Setting aside personal agendas is a big part of the success of team ministry. Many teams have failed in their mission because of an individual who wanted his/her gift or opinion to be recognized.

Measure of Rule

A big misunderstanding occurs when apostles think they have the same measure of authority in every geographical location. When Paul went to Jerusalem to participate in the first Apostolic Council (see Acts 15), he submitted his experiences to the other apostles who had also gathered there. It wasn't until James the apostle in Jerusalem spoke that there were any conclusions.

A true apostle carries their apostolic authority wherever they go, but it is foolish for him to not recognize local authority. The same is true with apostolic teams. It is their respect for the local Church and the Biblical authority that helps them to serve effectively.

Authority, like favor, is for the benefit of others. It is not a title to help in building one's own self-esteem, and is never for personal gain. For that reason, the Apostle is at the "bottom of the stack"...the "least of all." The title simply recognizes function. And that function is to make others better and more complete in their walk with the Lord.

The Purpose of the Title

Throughout history, there have been many ordinary individuals who have become desperate for God in unusual ways and have sought God with reckless abandon. The encounters they had with God made them appear extraordinary. Their breakthrough made them household names with remarkable gifts and ministries. But when God gives someone an unusual gift, it is never for the purpose of acquiring admiration and fame, or even drawing big crowds. Those things are normal byproducts, but they are not the purpose.

The place of favor that one gets as a result of God's unusual touch on their lives is a God-given position to equip others. It is God's heart to take those high points of human experience in the man or woman of God and make them the new norm for the Believer. Equipping the saints becomes the focus of true fathers.

The Spirit of Revelation

One of the things that helped to keep the early Church strong and healthy was their continual devotion to the apostles' doctrine (see Acts 2:42). However, you'll notice that there is no mention of a list of beliefs that the Bible declares to be the official record of important doctrines. It is safe to say the "apostles' doctrine" is referring to something other than a specific list.

Peter understood this when he exhorted the Church concerning "present truth" (see 2 Peter 1:12). That phrase is to direct our attention to that which the Lord is emphasizing for this season. That is the apostle's doctrine. The word coming from apostles is to bring clarification of the Father's focus for the Church, and in turn strengthen our resolve to His purposes. Fresh revelation carries fresh fire, which helps us to maintain the much needed fire in our souls.

Apostles carry a blueprint in their hearts concerning the Church and God's purposes on the earth. They are used to bring fresh revelation to the Church. Apostolic teams are sent to represent their spiritual father, and carry the word that has been entrusted to their "tribe." They help bring an understanding and establish an order needed in the particular location they were sent to.

The Need for Others

God never gives the whole picture of His plan for the Church to one father/apostle, or even to one tribe. Scriptures declare that "we" have the mind of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 2:6), not "I." Dependence upon the whole is essential for us to grow up in a way that pleases Christ. As the various "tribes" learn to work together we will see a more complete picture of the Father's intent for planet Earth.

The revelation carried by Apostles and the five-fold ministry will result in a Church coming to a common knowledge of the Son of God (see Ephesians 4). Much division presently exists in this area. He is our common focus. A study of the Scriptures without the Holy Spirit giving understanding creates much religious conflict. Division exists because people are committed to different levels of truth that appear contradictory.

Fathers are necessary to sort these things out. Variety without uniformity is important. These teams carry revelation to help the Church to live out of a common revelation of Jesus - who He is and who we are because of Him. God's aim is to fulfill His word in 1 John 4:17 - "As He is, so are we in this world." We are to become like the Jesus revealed in Revelation, Chapter 1 - resurrected and glorified. We are not headed for the Cross - we live "from" the Cross. Apostolic revelation has that in mind.

The Day of Power

One of the more notable prophets of our day recently told me that he wouldn't be able to come into all that God had created him for until the apostles came forth to their appointed place. The apostles help release the prophets into their destiny, and vice versa. In a sense they complete each other.

Apostolic order without apostolic power is to be questioned. Order based on Biblical principle that is lacking Biblical power is tragic at best and deceptive at worst. Order does not exist unto itself. The wineskin exists for the wine. The wine is the focus. All order exists to house God Himself - not to restrict Him, but to accurately express Him.

Wineskins need to flex in order to be useful, because of the expanding nature of the wine in the fermenting process. The Holy Spirit brings constant change and to house Him means to embrace flexibility as a way of life. The goal is not to create a perfect structure or government. It is to create one that recognizes Him, and flexes with His changes.

Last Days Assignment

All of this serves one purpose - Jesus is returning for a Bride. For this to happen, the harvest must be brought in and must be "cleaned." He's not returning for a Bride that He has to heal up and put together like a puzzle in Heaven. He is returning for a Bride whose body is in equal proportion to her head, and whose parts work together in coordination. It's called a "glorious Church, without spot or wrinkle" (see Ephesians 5:27) in Scripture. Anything less is an illegitimate vision.

The Bride is to make herself ready for that day (see Revelation 19:7). As Larry Randolph puts it, "It is a perversion to think that Jesus will dress the Bride before the wedding." Our assignment is clear, and the gifts are in place. And they are all expressions of Jesus Himself. But they are simple in purpose. Represent Jesus to the world!

The fire of God must rest in the souls of men. Christians without passion are almost as great a mystery as Christians without purpose. Apostolic teams carry fresh fire with divine purpose. They enlist men and women to God's dream, and in the process the Church steps into her destiny.

Bill Johnson

Bill Johnson Ministries



Footnotes:

1. There are three basic levels of Biblical doctrine. 1. There are doctrines that are essential to the Christian faith – for example, Jesus is the eternal Son of God. 2. Then there are doctrines that are important, but not essential – for example, how we use the gifts of the Spirit in a church service. 3. And finally, there are doctrines that are good but not essential – for example, the exact nature and timing of Christ's return.

2. This is never in addition to Scriptures, instead He unveils what is already there.

3. This is far from an absolute rule, as many leaders are in tune to what God is saying. However, some are more concerned with preserving past accomplishments over and above the advancement of the Kingdom. This creates a weakness that tends to miss God's present word.

About Bill and Beni Johnson: Bill and Brenda (Beni) Johnson are the Senior Pastors of Bethel Church. Bill is a fifth generation pastor with a rich heritage in the things of the Spirit. Together they serve a growing number of churches that have partnered for revival. This apostolic network has crossed denominational lines in building relationships that enable church leaders to walk in both purity and power. Beni has a call to intercession that is an integral part of the Bethel Church mission. She is in charge of the Bethel's Prayer House, ministry teams and the intercessors. The Lord has given her a heart for broken people of all ages.

The present move of God has brought Bill into a deeper understanding of the phrase, "on Earth as it is in Heaven." Healing and deliverance must become the common expression of this Gospel of power once again. Bill and the Bethel Church family have taken on this theme for life and ministry. Healings, ranging from cancer to broken bones, to learning disorders and emotional healing, happen with regularity. The church is learning how to take this anointing to the schools, workplace, and neighborhoods with similar results.

The Miracle Man - A.A. Allen

“The Miracle Man” - www.godsgenerals.com

Night after night, the waves of Divine Glory so sweep over the congregation that many testify of being healed while sitting in their seats.¹

Asa Alonzo Allen was perhaps one of the most important revivalists to emerge during the Voice of Healing revival. He was certainly the most sensational of his time, and not surprisingly drew a great deal of criticism and controversy. But all told, he was faithful to pursue God’s call on his life and as a result ushered a mighty move of the Spirit that swept the nation with powerful miracles, signs and wonders. In a time when the impact of other healing evangelists was diminishing, Allen was gathering momentum. Throughout the 1950’s, and into the 1960’s, Allen built a far-reaching worldwide ministry ultimately comprising an international radio program, magazine, Bible school and ministry training center, as well as overseas missions programs. The backbone of his ministry, however, was the massive tent revivals and healing crusades.

The Dreadful Past

What makes Allen’s ministry success all the more amazing is the childhood he had to overcome. Of all the hardship stories, his home life was among the most dreadful. Allen and his six siblings had two alcoholic parents who were wild drunks, brewed their own liquor, and grew their own smoking tobacco. For entertainment they gave their kids this moonshine and watched them get drunk. Allen’s mother put home brew in his baby bottle to keep him from crying, and he was smoking before he was old enough to go to school.

Needless to say, the Allen home was not a happy one. There were constant tussles. Allen’s mother left his father when A. A. was only four years old to marry another abusive, alcoholic. By the time he was six, he was carrying tin buckets of beer home from the saloon to his stepfather. This man left his mother when A. A. was eleven, at which time Allen attempted to run away himself. If the weather had not turned bad, he might have succeeded. He left home for good when he was fourteen.

Meeting Jesus

By the time Allen was twenty-one, his health had badly deteriorated. He had the shakes so bad he couldn’t light a cigarette or hold a cup of coffee without spilling it. His chest burned and he was racked with a deep, hacking cough. Even his memory was slipping. He was already dying the death of an old man. Hoping to restore his health there, he returned home to the farm where his mother still lived. The two of them soon slipped into their old ways and started stilling their own liquor and hosting wild parties. Their regular Saturday night shindig became known as the “Allen Dance Hall and Still.”

A neighbor had a different type of celebration in mind. He was a Pentecostal preacher who wanted to start a Holy Ghost revival out of his home just down the road. He and his little flock started to pray that the Allen parties would stop—they prayed that the Lord would either run him out of the neighborhood or kill him.

God did better than that. Allen happened upon a country Methodist church one day where they were singing and dancing inside. Out of curiosity he went in and was mesmerized by the woman preacher and the celebratory atmosphere. He knew he wanted what they had. The next night he returned and answered the altar call to be saved. From that point on, the parties and bootlegging ended.

Hook, Line, and Sinker

Allen went home and found an old Bible up in the attic. He read it voraciously, from cover to cover. He showed up at the Pentecostal home meeting down the road and after he left the people there prayed he would be filled with the Holy Spirit and used to win souls for Christ. The next day he visited a Methodist pastor who told him to stay away from the Pentecostals because they spoke in tongues. This just piqued Allen’s curiosity even more and now he wanted that too. Not long afterward, he and his sister attended a Pentecostal camp meeting where he received the baptism and shouted out in tongues.

When drought hit Missouri in 1934, Allen moved to Colorado where he was offered a job on a ranch. There he came across a Foursquare Church and met a young neighbor named Lexie Scriven. She felt she was called to preach and soon the two became close friends. When she left for Missouri to attend Central Bible Institute, Allen also returned to Missouri to help his mother. Allen wrote Lexie daily and finally proposed marriage. On September 19, 1936, the two returned to Colorado to marry.

The couple knew they were called to preach, so they both enrolled at Central Bible Institute. On the way there they stopped to see Allen’s ailing mother and ended up staying to nurse her back to health, spending all the money they had saved for school in the process. After her health improved, they continued on their way searching for jobs and a place to live. During this time Allen had the opportunity to preach at a church meeting in a local home.

The Journey Begins

The Allens wasted no time holding meetings wherever they could. They struggled with money, having to chop and sell wood to survive, sleeping in a dilapidated shack on a bed made from their car seats, and eating nothing but beans for weeks at a time. In the late 1930’s, Allen was offered the pastorate of an Assembly of God church in Holly, Colorado, when they also licensed him.

It was while pastoring that Allen began to truly seek God. He was determined to discover the secret of God’s power and how to flow with it. He prayed and fasted until he heard from the Lord how to increase his effectiveness as a preacher. And as promised in the Bible, those who seek will surely find. God revealed Himself to Allen in a powerful, life-changing way.

The Price Tag

Allen received clear direction from the Lord about exactly what he should do in order to operate in the miracle-working power of God. Allen recalled that “God revealed to me that the things that were hindrances to my ministry . . . were the very same things which were hindering so many thousands of others. At last, here was the price I must pay for the power of God in my life and ministry. The price tag for the miracle-working power of God!”³

Here are eleven of the thirteen things Allen said the Lord told him he must understand and do to see His Miracle-Working Power:

1. He must realize he couldn’t do greater quality miracles than Jesus.
   
2. He could walk as Jesus walked.
   
3. He must be blameless like God Himself.
   
4. He must measure himself to Jesus alone.
   
5. He must deny his fleshly desires with fasting.
   
6. After self-denial, he must follow Jesus seven days a week.
   
7. Without God, he could do nothing.
   
8. He must do away with sin in his body.
   
9. He must not continue in shallow, pointless discussions.
   
10. He must give his body wholly to God forever.
    
11. He must believe all of God’s promises.

The remaining two guidelines were “pet sins” that God had pointed out by name, which Allen felt he could not share.⁴

Miracle-Working Power

Shortly after this visitation, Allen resigned from his position as pastor. The Allens had an invitation to minister in Missouri and here is where their first miracle service took place. A blind man came forward for healing in response to the altar call. Allen asked for all those with faith for the healing of this blind man to come up and pray with him. Then he said, “There is unbelief in this room, I can feel it!”. With that a man got up and stomped out the door. When the believers finished praying, the blind man could name the color of Allen’s tie!⁵

Throughout the first half of the 1940’s, Allen traveled around the country leading miracle-working healing revivals. Lexie was left alone for months at a time to care for their young babies. It was a difficult time for the family as they continued to struggle financially and Lexie was left with the burden of raising the children single-handedly. Then, in 1947, Allen was offered the pastorate of one of the largest Assemblies of God churches in Texas. He accepted and the family moved to Corpus Christi in search of a more normal family life and financial stability.

Going to the Next Level

For the next couple of years, Allen threw himself into building the church and the congregation grew until they needed a new building. He oversaw the exciting and successful church building project, but then searched for the next great adventure to throw himself into. He felt called to pursue a radio outreach, but the church board rejected the idea and Allen fell into a severe depression. Lexie recognized it as a spiritual attack and commanded the tormenting spirit to leave him. Miraculously it did, and Allen was back to his ambitious self.

By the fall of 1949, Allen began to hear stories of miraculous healing meetings from church members and the widely circulated Voice of Healing publication. He attended an Oral Roberts tent revival in Dallas, Texas, with some ministry friends and felt God tugging on his heart about the vision he originally gave him. He rededicated himself to fulfilling that calling and upon returning home resigned the pastorate once again.

In May of 1950, Allen sent his first report to the Voice of Healing after the awe-inspiring results of a miracle campaign he held in Oakland, California. People were healed sitting in their seats as “waves of divine glory swept over the congregation.”⁶ In 1951, Allen purchased a tent and on July 4, 1951, the A. A. Allen Revival Tent went up for the first campaign in Yakima, Washington.

In November of 1953, Allen finally broke into radio with the Allen Revival Hour on eleven stations. By 1955 he was being broadcast on seventeen Latin American stations and eighteen American ones.⁷ Allen conducted yearly revivals in Cuba and Mexico from 1955 until 1959 when Castro took power.

Persecution and Progress

As Allen’s fame grew, so did opposition. At the height of his ministry success, his enemies slandered Allen publicly with accusations of being a drunkard. The newspapers published accounts of public drunkenness and he was even arrested for drunk driving. The charges were trumped up and widely disputed across factions of friend and foe. R.W. Schambach, who was traveling with him at the time, testified that he was in the car the night he was arrested and that Allen was by no means under the influence of alcohol. Nevertheless, the bad press did great harm to his ministry and reputation. Ultimately he was forced to withdraw from the Assemblies of God denomination and Voice of Healing network.

However, what the enemy means for harm can often work for good. In the midst of persecution, Allen launched the Miracle Revival Fellowship, which licensed ministers and supported missions. Five hundred ministers were licensed in its first ordination. During this time he also began publishing the Miracle Magazine, which boasted two hundred thousand paid subscribers by the end of 1956. In January of 1958, he established the International Miracle Revival Training Camp for ministers near Tombstone, Arizona. He was given 1,250 acres of land and called it “Miracle Valley.” In 1960, he built a four thousand seat church hoping to one day to develop a city there with flourishing neighborhoods, recreational facilities, and media centers.

A Sudden End

Throughout the late 1950’s, great public controversy continued to surround Allen, as well as hostile persecution, yet he pressed on. The miraculous followed his preaching in unprecedented forms. Unheard of signs and wonders were manifested during his campaigns, such as a flame appearing above his revival tent, oil flowing from the heads and hands of people in the audience, crosses appearing on foreheads, and a radio listener having organs reappear that had previously been removed.

Allen worked as hard as ever well into the next decade. He continued to fervently teach on healing, and then more and more on financial prosperity. By 1967, the ministry suffered a debilitating blow when it was sued for $300,000 in back taxes. By 1969, Allen’s health began to deteriorate and he battled severe arthritis in his knees. He suffered with so much pain that a protégé had to fill in during the crusades. Allen had already undergone surgery on one of his knees and in June of 1970, was considering surgery on the other knee.

Allen arrived in his hotel room the night before his scheduled doctor’s visit and made a disturbing call to a close friend. This friend became alarmed and immediately headed over to the hotel. After banging on Allen’s door and receiving no response, he had the assistant manager open the door, and there they found Allen dead in a chair in front of his television. A. A. Allen was pronounced dead at 11:23 p.m. on June 11, 1970. The Coroner’s Report recorded the cause of death being “fatty infiltration of the liver” as a result of the few times he used alcohol in his last days to alleviate the excruciating pain of his arthritis.

Works Consulted

1. Lexie E. Allen, God’s Man of Faith and Power, (Hereford, AZ: A.A.
   Allen Publications, 1954), 165.
   
2. David Harrell Jr., All Things Are Possible (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University
   Press, 1975), 66.
   
3. L. Allen, God’s Man of Faith and Power, 98-104
   
4. A. A. Allen, Price of God’s Miracle-Working Power (Miracle Valley,
   AZ: A. A. Allen Revivals Inc., 1950).
   
5. L. Allen, 106-108
   
6. Ibid, 165.
   
7. Harrell, All Things Are Possible, 68.

Presenting the Unknown God

Presenting the Unknown God (part I & II)

By Steve Cornell

www.thinkpoint.wordpress.com

Acts 17:16-34

“While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” At that, Paul left the Council. A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.”

An amazing man enters an extra ordinary city

This is the account of an extra ordinary man of God confronting an extra ordinary city of man. The apostle Paul was the man; Athens, the city. Consider this extra ordinary man:

“The apostle Paul traveled much greater distances than from Chicago to New York, not in the ease of a train, an automobile, or a plane, but for the most part on foot, and that not on level roads such as we know, but through sandy deserts, along fever-ridden coastal plains, swimming icy rivers, set upon by robbers, beaten by his own countrymen, thrown into prison, sometimes left as one dead. Look at a map of the Roman world that shows you Paul’s journeys, and then confess that our travels are insignificant compared to his.”

“But there was more than mere travel with this man, Paul. Our day is a travel age, vast multitudes move from the city to the country and from the small town to the great city, in innumerable excursions, for a change of scenery, rest and entertainment, without accomplishing anything except having a good time. Paul did not travel for travel’s sake; he traveled to preach- to stir up men, to bring conviction to human hearts, to assault the strongholds of paganism, to do everything in his power, by the grace of God, for the deliverance of men from the bondage of darkness and serving dead idols, to beholding the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

“Frankly, my fellow believers and fellow preachers, even when we do travel to preach, what happens in the great cities we visit? Nothing! A morning audience of people already Christians, a delicious dinner, a few kind words, a generous check, and we go on our way. What does the city know of our coming? Nothing! What does the city care? Nothing! What are our results? So meager as not to be reckoned. But this man Paul, when he went into a city, turned it upside down, riots broke out, men left the temples; the sale of images immediately showed a decrease; he was seized by the populace; he was brought before kings. Through this man paganism was dealt a deathblow. Look at that map- Colosse, Ephesus, Corinth, Thessalonica, Philippi, Lystra, Derbe, everywhere great and flourishing churches, with bishops, before the end of the century! And then open your New Testament and see what he did in the way of writing, such epistles that nineteen hundred years of study have not exhausted them.”

“There has never been any man as great since the death of our Lord, as this man. This is that servant of Christ, the mighty Apostle, who is entering on foot this summer day, the city of Socrates, of Plato, of Aristotle. The city where almost everyone in philosophy worthy the name had been born and grown to maturity, where art had reached its greatest glory, and oratory had been heard in its greatest power, where a knowledge of everything then worth knowing, of the skies above, the earth on which we live, and much that is under the earth, had been brought together, in a passion for truth. What could this man Paul do, what would he want to do, in this city of Athens?” (Wilbur Smith, Therefore Stand, pp. 247-248).

Unexpected arrival in Athens

As far as we can know the city of Athens was not on Paul’s travel itinerary. God had called him to the province of Macedonia. Athens was in the province of Achaia. Paul must have been confused by his circumstances. He knew God called him to Macedonia and yet he was driven from one Macedonia city to another until it became clear that there was no safe place for him in the province.

In Philippi, people responded positively to the gospel but Paul ended up being severely beaten and jailed. In Thessalonica, people responded favorably to the gospel but hostilities toward Paul became so intense that the new believers had to escort Paul to the city of Berea. In Berea, people again responded to the gospel with great eagerness examining the scriptures carefully to see if Paul’s teaching was correct. But the persecutors from Thessalonica made their way to Berea and drove Paul out of that city.

Driven from one Macedonian city to another as if there were no place for him in the province, he finally ended up in Athens, a city of Achaia, and one of the great cities of human history from man’s perspective.

“When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible” (Acts 17:13-15).

An extra ordinary city

An extra ordinary man of God in an extra ordinary city of the world. Although the political stature of Athens had diminished by the time of Paul’s arrival, the city maintained a prestigious reputation as a world-renown center of intellectualism.

The names ascribed to Athens tell the story: “The Mansion house of wisdom.” “The fountain of all arts.” “The Mother of humanity.” and “The eye of Greece.” It was a university city proud of its cultural and intellectual achievements. At one time it was home to Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus and other notable philosophers. Anyone aspiring to intellectual significance had to connect with Athens. Athens had more that was splendid in architecture, more that was brilliant in science, and more that was beautiful in the arts, than any other city of the world; perhaps more than all the rest of the world united. Athens was not your normal city, but the apostle Paul was by no means your normal man.

“Now and then there breaks from the shell of mediocrity a man of unswerving convictions willing to stem the tide of evils of his day, such was the apostle Paul” (W. Smith). In just ten years, this man started churches in four Roman Provinces: Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia, and Asia. Prior to his arrival in these provinces, no churches existed. After his ministry to these areas, the gospel of Jesus Christ was flourishing in all four provinces with established local churches.


Paul’s life before Christ

Paul was at one point a zealous persecutor of Christians (perhaps the most feared persecutor). Out of loyalty to his Jewish heritage, he viewed the Church of Jesus Christ as a threat to the purity of Judaism.

Although raised in the Greek city of Tarsus with the privileges of Roman citizenship, nothing tainted his Jewish heritage. Paul had attained all the elements of status among the Jewish people. He was: “circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee who followed all the legal demands of the law and demonstrated his zeal for Israel by persecuting Christians” (Philippians 3:4-8).

Then, to use Paul’s own words, in midcourse, while persecuting the Church, he was: “apprehended by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:12). And from his conversion to Christ to his death, this ma n turned from being foremost persecutor of Christians to become the foremost proclaimer of the gospel. He had the unique combination of being thoroughly educated in Old Testament scriptures and completely familiar with Greek culture and learning.

Was the visit to Athens a low point for Paul?

Some see this as a real low point for Paul. It would seem reasonable to think that he was a little discouraged by the events in Macedonia. Surely he was concerned about the physical safety and spiritual wellbeing of the new believers he had left behind.

He is alone in Athens waiting for his co-workers to join him. Maybe this would be a good time for Paul to rest from the demands of ministry. After being hunted and hated; beaten and driven from city to city, he has an opportunity to vacation in Athens. Most people came to Athens to observe the wonder of its architecture and paintings, and to listen to the debates of the great philosophers. Is this what Paul will do in Athens? How will Athens affect Paul?

How did Athens affect Paul?

The average person came to Athens and was filled with a sense of awe and amazement at the monuments of human achievement. But, the apostle is no average person. Paul was “greatly distressed” to see that Athens was a city “full of idols.” One commentator noted that, “…there is no account that the mind of Paul was filled with admirations; there is no record that he spent his time in examining the works of art; there is no evidence that he forgot his high purpose in an idle and useless contemplation of temples and statuary. His was a Christian mind; and he contemplated all this with a Christian heart. That heart was deeply affected in the view of amazing guilt of a people who were ignorant of the true God, who had filled their city with idols reared to the honor of imaginary divinities (Barnes).

A person’s character and the purposes of his life determines what he sees wherever he goes. When Paul saw that Athens was full of idols, he was “greatly distressed” by what he saw. “His spirit was being provoked” (N.A.S.B.). “His spirit was stirred in him” (K.J.V.).

A city full of Idols

Historians said that one was more likely to see a god or goddess in the streets of Athens than a man. “There were innumerable temples, shrines, statues, and altars. In the Parthenon stood a huge gold and ivory statue of Athena, ‘whose gleaming spear-point was visible forty miles away.’ Elsewhere there were images of Apollo, the city’s patron, of Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, Bacchus, Neptune, Diana, and Aesculapius. The whole Greek Pantheon was there– all the gods of Olympus. And they were beautiful. They were made not only of stone and brass, but of gold, silver, ivory and marble, and they had been elegantly fashioned by the finest Greek sculptors. There is no need to suppose that Paul was blind to their beauty. But beauty did not impress him if it did not honor God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Instead, he was oppressed by the idolatrous use to which the God-given artistic creativity of the Athenians was being put. This is what Paul saw: a city submerged in its idols” (John Stott).

Idolatry in Athens was not the tribal, barbaric type. It was more of a high-class cultural reality. Yet, no matter how high-class, their idols stood as monuments to the emptiness and futility of their existence. Their idols were also an affront to the glory of the one true God.

Foolishness of Idolatry

On one level, it appears to be a great contradiction that the world’s center of learning and wisdom was filled with the most foolish things a man could create.

“But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats” (Psalm 115:4-7).

Athens had idols to represent every aspect of human life and the physical universe. So extreme was their idolatry that they even erected an altar with an inscription to an unknown God (just in case they missed a deity). “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: To an unknown God. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

What greatly distressed Paul about the idols of Athens?

The answer to this question will provide the greatest possible incentive for evangelism. The single Greek word translated by the N.I.V. as “greatly distressed” is a rare word in the New Testament. But the word is not rare in the Greek translation of the O.T. It means, “to be irritated or provoked to anger.” This word is repeatedly used in the Greek translation of the O.T. to describe the response of the Holy One of Israel to the idolatry he observed (see: Isa. 6:5:2-3; Dt. 9:7,18,22; Ps. 106:28-29).

In a general sense, an idol is anything that stands in the way of the worship of the one true God. An idol misrepresents God and distracts people from God’s exclusive right to glory. God said, “I am the Lord, that is my name! I will not give my glory to another, or my praise to idols” (Isaiah 42:8). The testimony of the new believers in Thessalonica was that they “turned to God form idols to serving the living and true God” (I Thess. 1:9). Someone has said that, “Our Creator and Redeemer has a right to our exclusive allegiance, and is ‘jealous’ if we transfer it to anyone or anything else. Moreover, the people of God, who love God’s name, should share in his ‘jealousy’ for it.”

Application:

When we see people giving anyone or anything the honor and glory that belongs to God, we should be greatly distressed. Was Paul burdened about the eternal destiny of the people of Athens? Yes! But that concern was secondary to his jealousy for the name and honor of God. The highest possible incentive for evangelism is not obedience or compassion, but zeal for the glory of God. And since God the Father exalted Jesus to the highest place of honor, we should feel greatly distressed by the lack of honor given to Him.

Many of us would have to admit that we are too undisturbed by the lack of honor for Jesus that surrounds us. Are we blinded by the achievements of man to the point that we fail to see how they often stand in opposition to the glory of God? Let us ask God to open our eyes and fill us with zeal for his glory. May God help us to be greatly distressed by the idols of our times!

A song for reflection:

Help me to see this world dear Lord as though I were looking through your eyes. A world of men who don’t want you Lord yet a world for which you died. Let me kneel with you in the garden. Fill my eyes with tears of agony. For if once I could see this world the way you see I just know I’d serve you more faithfully.

Part II

Athens: the university city of the world and the place Roman senators and wealthy foreigners sent their sons to study. It was a city distinguished by cultural and intellectual achievements. It had been home to the greatest philosophers of the world: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus and others. The most venerable judicial court of ancient Greece was at one time based in this city under the title: “The Council of the Areopagus.” The city of Athens was an extra-ordinary city of the world.

An unexpected and unusual visitor

One summer day, not by human plan, but by divine providence, this city received a visit from an extraordinary man of God, the apostle Paul. It was not unusual for people to visit Athens. Yet most visitors came to Athens to observe the wonder of its artistic and architectural achievements, and to listen to the greatest intellectuals debate ideas and philosophies. The apostle, however, was not impressed with any of these things when he arrived in Athens. He saw something that was deeply disturbing. “While Paul was waiting... in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols (v. 16).

In Isaiah 42:8, God said, “I am the Lord, that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.” This is the reason behind Paul’s response (“He was greatly distressed” N.I.V.). When the apostle saw this city full of idols, he was not taken up with the artistic beauty of the false gods. He was provoked to anger. And like the apostle, I suggest that we should be “provoked within” or “greatly distressed” when we see people giving anyone or anything the glory and honor that belongs exclusively to God and to His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.

The zeal of God’s people

Does it deeply disturb you when you see how our culture has made systematic efforts to eclipse the knowledge of the true God and to rob him of His glory? Let me put it this way, since God the Father has exalted Jesus to the highest place of honor and given him the name above all names, does it bother you that your neighbor, co-worker, fellow student, or family member does not worship Jesus Christ? (Eph. 1:19-21; Phil. 2:9; Col. 1:18; I Pet. 3:22; Heb. 2:8).

“This is the zeal of the people of God,” wrote John Stott, “that without exception every knee and every tongue should acknowledge the supreme honor given to Jesus.”

This zeal for Christ integrates the worship and witness of the church. How can we worship Christ and not mind that others do not? Our worship of Christ impels us to witness to Christ, in order that others may come and worship him too.

The primary motive for mission

The primary motive for mission is not obedience to the Great Commission, nor is it love for the oppressed, lonely, lost and perishing. Important as both incentives are, zeal or jealously for the glory of Christ is the greater motive. “It was ‘for his name’s sake’, in order that it might receive the honor which it deserved, that the first missionaries went out. The same passionate longing should motivate us” (The Contemporary Christians, John R.W. Stott, pp. 367-68).

It was the apostle’s commitment to the glory of Christ that stirred his spirit and provoked him when he saw a city full of false gods. How could he possibly remain indifferent to the prevailing idolatry? But he did not stop with a negative reaction to idolatry. He did not wring his hands in disgust and view the Athenians as hopeless pagans. No. He saw an opportunity to bear witness to the good news about what God did through Jesus Christ. He seized the opportunity to reveal to them the God they were so obviously searching for.

It was strikingly incredulous that a center of intellectual pursuit was absorbed with the foolishness of idolatry. Yet more disconcerting to the apostle was the way the idolatry eclipsed the knowledge and glory of the only true God. This led Paul to an unanticipated ministry in Athens. An extra ordinary man of God confronts an extra ordinary city of men.

Ministry and method in Athens

Paul immediately began a dual evangelistic ministry: “…he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there” (v. 17). It was a typical pattern for the apostle to bear witness to Christ in the synagogue and the market place --to the Jews and God-fearing gentiles and those who happened to be present, (see: Acts 17:1-3). Paul’s custom was to bring the gospel first to the synagogue. But consider his method: Paul “reasoned with them” (see: 17:2, 17). This is the Greek word behind the English word “dialogue.”

“Dialogue implies a free and open exchange of ideas, perceptions, problems and options with a desire to arrive at an understanding of truth. Since it allows for people to really communicate where they are spiritually, socially, intellectually, emotionally, and behaviorally, we believe it encourages a more relevant kind of instruction” (John Stott, Romans). (See also: I Peter 3:15).

This was Paul’s method. He did not shout bible verses or form a team to march around Athens seven times. He did not target the territorial demons of Athens and cast them out. He simply found people who were open to discuss the truths of the gospel and he presented Jesus to them. No doubt, Paul did present these truths passionately and persuasively. We can be certain that he was a master at dialogue and at using a strong apologetic evangelism. He was a man of action, ready to enter the arena of conflict between truth and error.

The synagogue and market place today

Paul spoke to Jews on the Sabbath and went to the agora (the market place) where people did business and gathered for casual conversation and exchange of ideas (See: verse 21). The apostle seized the opportunity to intelligently and to persuasively present Jesus and the resurrection to all who would listen. “Today the nearest equivalent to the synagogue is the church, the place where religious people gather. There is still an important place for sharing the gospel with church-goers, God-fearing people on the fringe of the church, who may attend services only occasionally. The equivalent of the agora will vary in different parts of the world. It may be a park, city square or street corner, a shopping mall or market-place, a ‘pub’, neighborhood bar, café, or student cafeteria, wherever people meet when they are at leisure. There is a need for gifted evangelists who can make friends and gossip the gospel in such informal settings as these.” (John Stott, Romans).

Two-fold response to Paul’s witness

In Acts 17:18-20, we notice two responses to Paul’s witness for Christ:

1. Ridicule (v. 18)

2. Intrigue (vv.19-12)

An Eight point message--a model for post-modern times

This led to a unique opportunity to present the gospel to the intellects of Athens (vv. 22-31). The apostle presented them with eight powerful points about the God they were searching for (The unknown God).

1. There is a God.

2. He created everything.

3. He rules everything.

4. He is not confined by you.

5. He is not enhanced by you.

6. You are dependent on Him.

7. He controls history and destiny.

8. All humans must answer to God.

Thought:

The answer will not help the man who has lost the question. We live in a culture that has lost the question because it has, in many ways, eclipsed the knowledge of the only true God. People are blinded to their need for salvation. They’ve lost connection with questions related to God, sin and judgment. While deeply disturbed by things the eclipse God’s knowledge and glory, let us be equally motivated to speak for Christ. Like Paul we must wisely seek points of connection for the gospel.

A question to ponder:

“How can we worship Christ and not mind that others do not?”

The Antidote of Heaven

Ryan Wyatt: "The Antidote of Heaven"

by Ryan Wyatt

http://www.abidingglory.com/teachings/teachings.cfm

The Living, Breathing, Supernatural Church!

Prepare yourself! We are in times of great change! A generation is arising, and is even already on the scene, that is no longer settling for "Sunday Morning Christianity." Please know and understand that I love the Church, the real Church. However, "church" as we know it, is about to dramatically change.

We are going from "attending church" and catering to "Sunday Morning Christianity," and we are moving into "being the Church"—a mighty, supernatural army filled with power and equipped to offensively advance and establish the Kingdom of God throughout the earth!

We need to understand that when we received salvation and were born-again, we did not join a social club or world religion called Christianity. We were regenerated and inhabited by a supernatural God who came to mingle with our spirit and transform us into a new creature with a heavenly nature—the very DNA of God now residing in us!

The real Church is not a building, denomination or club. The real Church is a living, breathing, supernatural, heavenly, new-creation entity which carries and manifests the very Kingdom of God on this earth.

In the same way God inhabited a box called, "the ark," in the Old Testament, He now inhabits a people waiting to display His Glory through those who will only believe. You are not just a container or holding chamber where God resides. You actually have the very DNA, or nature, of God in you. In the same way apples bring forth apples, and oranges bring forth oranges, God brings forth sons and daughters at their moment of salvation! You are a gateway—a portal—where Heaven invades earth.

The Church for decades, and even centuries, has been having an identity crisis, and is now receiving a Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God. As a Church, we are beginning to awaken and realize we do have an identity and a purpose that far supersedes just "doing church," and we are beginning to realize that we are the very Body of Jesus Christ on this earth. The very same presence and power that Jesus manifested in His single human body, He will now manifest through His corporate Body, the Church. An army is arising and it is time!

The Eternal Purpose and Mystery

Jesus is intensely serious about receiving His inheritance, and His inheritance is tied up in us fulfilling our destiny as Believers. Jesus Christ's inheritance can be found in Ephesians 3:8-11.

Jesus shed His Blood to purchase for Himself a Bride. However, there is more to this story than just a wedding. This Bride (that's you by the way) is being raised up as the weapon of God in His hand to enforce the victory that has already been accomplished over His enemy, and display the triumph of Jesus Christ to all demonic powers. The Church has a destiny and a purpose to actually display the very glory and victory of God to the principalities, cosmic powers, and evil spiritual forces in heavenly places.

This means that the Church is not to be postured in a spectator position, but rather an offensive position. For too long, the Church has been consumed with a rapture mentality of, "just hang on until Jesus comes and then He will rescue us out of this mess." This mentality simply does not line up with Scripture, and this generation is awakening to the reality of our high calling and eternal purpose as an army of God with a mandate to enforce the victory Jesus won by His shed Blood.

Heaven's Antidote

I am sure you all have noticed that the state and well-being of the world is rapidly declining. Ever since Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden there has been a demonic curse and demonic government ruling over this planet, and satan, our enemy, has assumed the title of, "god of this world."

However, you need to know that satan's power only resides in our ignorance. When we, as the Church, are ignorant of our identity and calling as Heaven's representatives and enforcers, then the devil remains in a place and position of power.

Satan cringed in fear when Jesus came on the scene as the "Last Adam" (see 1 Corinthians 15:45) because he was aware of the fact that Jesus knew who He was, and that Jesus was clear about His mandate to rule and reign over the powers of darkness, and to deliver every tribe, tongue and nation from demonic oppression and bondage.

Jesus, as the "Last Adam," was simply fulfilling the mandate the "First Adam" dropped. Everywhere Jesus went He was on a mission to demonstrate and display the glory and superiority of God over the works of the devil. Did you know the Bible says that Jesus was the "firstborn among many brethren?"

Jesus was the first of a new prototype in the earth. He came to birth a "New Breed" of people who would be inhabited and born of God, and to pick up and carry on the mantle and mandate of Heaven first entrusted to Adam.

Just as a doctor gives an antidote to a patient whose body is filled with poison, so the Church is the heavenly antidote for the demonic curse that fills the earth! For so long, the Church has been content to let the world descend into total chaos, while hoping and praying that Jesus will come and rapture us out of this mess.

However, the heart of this generation is beginning to beat to the same tune as the heartbeat of God. We are waking-up to realize we are the answer and the antidote, and are assigned on this earth with a mandate to destroy the works of the devil—to bring Heaven to earth on a daily basis!

I have a vision of seeing authentic supernatural Christianity expressed on the earth through the Church—the Body of Christ. God has ordained that His Glory be displayed through a people totally devoted and in love with Him. This generation must be equipped and trained to live in such a place of intimacy and fellowship with the Lord—where His Glory truly does abide upon us through miracles, signs, and wonders.

Jesus Christ was sent and lived His life as a prototype of what is possible and available for each one of us as Believers. Jesus lived His day-to-day life out of the intimate voice of God, and carried His Kingdom—the supernatural realm of Heaven—on the earth with miracles, signs and wonders following Him. The cry of Heaven in these end-times is to see a remnant of people recklessly abandoned and in love with their God, who through intimacy, destroy the works of the devil, and bring the realm of Heaven to earth daily.

The Government of God is Here!

For many decades the Lord has been restoring truth to the Church which was lost during the dark ages. We have now come to a "fullness of time juncture," and are entering into a season where the sound of the roar of the Lion of Judah is being heard, with an army of Believers arising out of apathy and complacency, standing to attention, ready to receive marching orders from the King of kings. It's time for the Church to cease our wilderness wanderings and cross over into our intended destiny and promised land.

Prophetically speaking, our promised land represents the government of God. From the very beginning, God intended Adam to have dominion, rule, and to subdue and fill the earth with His glory. The Church has wandered in the wilderness without purpose, just as Israel did, but now it is time to pick up the mandate Adam dropped and establish and advance the Kingdom of God throughout the earth.

Isaiah 9:6 says that Jesus was sent to this earth to bring back the government of God, and He carried this Heavenly government upon His shoulders. It goes on to say, "Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end..." (Isaiah 9:7). Guess what? You, as a born-again Believer, are the increase of the government of God in this world.

The Scripture goes on to say that, "...The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this" (Isaiah 9:7). Great zeal is being poured out from Heaven upon this generation in this hour. The army of Believers on this earth is coming into alignment with the army of the host of Heaven. An army is arising to destroy the works of the devil and release the glory of our God in this land!

An alarm is being trumpeted from Heaven, "Choose this day whom you will serve." Many in the Body of Christ have already chosen to serve God, but the burning question is now, "Who will arise with burning passion and pick up the mandate of Heaven to ADVANCE the Kingdom today?"

Ryan Wyatt

Abiding Glory Ministries

Email: info@abidingglory.com

About Ryan: Ryan Wyatt is the Founder and Apostolic Team Leader of Abiding Glory Ministries, which incorporates the Abiding Glory Apostolic Base and The Habitation (their local fellowship of Believers), both headquartered in Knoxville, TN. The burning passion of Ryan's heart is to help prepare and equip an end-time Army of Believers who will be raised up to establish and advance the Kingdom of God. Ryan releases the glory and power of God everywhere he goes through a strong prophetic and miracle-healing anointing with many instantly healed and delivered in his meetings. Ryan, his wife Kelly, and their three sons live in Knoxville, TN.

Don't Let Fear Stop The Flow Of The Anointing

Don't Let Fear Stop The Flow Of The Anointing

by Karen McKenney

1Jn 4:18

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

No wonder the Bible calls love the more excellent path to God's power! The more we walk in love, the freer we are from fear and the more fully the Anointing of Jesus can manifest itself through us. When fear is gone there is nothing in us to hinder or interrupt its flow.

That's why Jesus said what He did to Jairus in Luke 8. Jairus had thrown himself at Jesus' feet and asked Him to come minister to his daughter who was at the point of death. He was making a demand on the manifestation of Jesus' Anointing. He was expecting Him to go straight to his house, operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and raise his daughter up.

On the way to Jairus' home, however, Jesus was delayed by a woman who came to Him to be healed of an issue of blood. By the time He had finished ministering to her, Jairus had received word that his daughter was already dead. "But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole" (verse 50).

Fear not! Those were the first words out of Jesus' mouth in that desperate situation. Why? Because He knew fear would contaminate Jairus' faith and stop the flow of the anointing.

In essence, Jesus was saying to Jairus, "If you allow fear to get in you, you're going to block the flow of My Anointing. Even if I go home with you, I won't be able to do much for you. So fear not, believe only!"

Jesus is saying the same thing to us today. After all, the manifestations of the Holy Spirit operate now exactly as they did back then. There aren't two Holy Spirits—one that worked in Jesus' day and another that works today. No, He's the same yesterday, today and forever. So for Him to manifest Himself fully through us, we must keep our faith uncontaminated. We must keep growing in love until we flush fear completely out of our lives. Then the Anointing of Jesus can flow freely through us.

Honor our Fathers and Mothers

The Commandment with a PROMISE: HONOR Our Fathers and Mothers

By Rick Joyner

The Sound of the Trumpet of the Lord

Throughout the Old Testament, we have seen times when Israel gathered to the sound of a trumpet. In almost every case, the trumpet was used to either wage war or to anoint a new king. The trumpet was the instrument that gathered.

In the Book of Revelation, we have trumpets that represent the major messages of the Lord going forth. Looking back in Church history, we can see these trumpets being blown by messengers, creating powerful moves of God that dictated the course of the Church through history.

We also have the repeated example of how some Christians heard the sound of the trumpets and responded, and how those who did not hear the sound would often rise up in opposition to these new movements which were led by those who heard the sound. Even so, each trumpet sound resulted in a great advance for the Gospel and the recovery of truth to the Church. Each one also brought about a separation in the Church between those who were going forward and those who wanted to remain where they were.

Recently, I was in Geneva, Switzerland. Whenever I am there I try to visit the chapel and cathedral where both John Calvin was the patriarch of a movement and John Knox preached while in exile for two years. These two men were of such prophetic authority that they could preach in a small setting yet impact the whole world. They did this without
the Internet or television, and their impact continues hundreds of years after their deaths.

They were a part of a small group who blew a great spiritual trumpet that not only changed the course of Church history but also human history. Their message not only reformed the Church but also resulted in the birth of democracy, higher forms of justice and law, and some of the basic principles of science that have released a great increase of knowledge.

It is always a marvel to me when I stand in the little chapel where they preached. The chapel was located in what was at the time, an obscure little village far from the mainstreams of civilization, and yet it had held a power to change the whole world. The only way this can be explained is - they preached a truth which time had come. They blew a trumpet where the sound originated in Heaven and had eternal qualities that ensured its lasting impact.

The key to such a message is not the audience but the origin of the message. Therefore, our basic devotion should not be to just do great things but to do the Lord's will. If we do His will, we will likely do great things.

How Should We Respond to Those Who May Not Hear What We Hear?

It is fitting that one of Calvin's most important contributions to the march of truth throughout the ages was his doctrine of original sources being required to validate a message. Of course, Calvin's goal of establishing original sources as the basis of truth was to get Christians to see past the dogma and traditions of the Church and to hold the Scriptures as the only basis of true doctrine in the Church.

As men read the Scriptures and compared its teachings to the practices of the Church, the Church had to make radical changes to conform to the Bible. This resulted in what we call the Reformation or the reforming of the Church. We are told, what is loosed in Heaven or the heavenly places gets released on earth as well (see Matthew 16:19), so not only was the Church reformed but world governments as well.

It is also interesting and important to understand how all of the great Reformation preachers wanted to reform the whole Church rather than form a new movement separate from the present Church. However, not everyone in the Church could hear the sound of this trumpet, and those who could not hear resisted it violently.

For a time, it looked like the Reformation could have been stamped out by persecution, but it grew stronger and stronger as it followed Calvin's teachings to sink its roots deeper and deeper into the Scriptures, the original source. If the Word Himself would respond to the temptations of the devil with "it is written..." (see Matthew 4:6,7), how much more should we be devoted to the Scriptures as the only "original source" for the doctrine of the Church and the power that can resist any enemy.

The illumination of truth released through the Reformation was great, but far from complete. Many succeeding movements have helped to carry the restoration of truth further and further. We are still in need of reformation, and it is still going on. Just as each reformation movement that started out by trying to reform the whole Church was rejected by those who could not hear the trumpet and went on to form new movements, this is still the case today.

New movements, even though they are born from hearing the trumpet of God, always cause a division in the Church. So how should we respond to those who may not hear what we hear and who may even persecute us for presuming to hear more than they do?

The Apostle Paul wrote in his most important Epistle, the Book of Romans, that even though the Jews had become hardened so that they resisted the Gospel and persecuted its messengers, they were beloved for the sake
of the fathers because they had been custodians of the oracles of God. Paul, therefore, warned the Gentiles who were marching forward with the New Covenant not to become arrogant toward the "natural branches," or they, too, would be cut off (see Romans 11:21).

Becoming arrogant toward those who may not see or hear what we do is a trap, which causes many to be cut off from further advancement.

Honor Our Fathers and Mothers: The Commandment with a Promise and Fruit that Remains

The only commandment with a promise is to "honor our fathers and mothers," and the promise is "so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth..." (see Ephesians 6:2-3).

Nowhere does it say we should only honor great fathers and mothers or even good ones, but simply the ones we have been given, good or bad. Almost all will be both good and bad, just as some of the greatest heroes in the Bible also made some of the greatest mistakes.

Obeying this commandment enabled King David to establish a throne that would last forever because Jesus is now seated on "the throne of David." That is longevity! He called Saul his father and honored him, even when Saul was trying to kill him. As cruel as Saul's persecution of David had been, David honored him and his house even after Saul was dead. Saul's persecution was one of the primary factors that worked such a grace in David's life that the Lord called him a man after His own heart and made him the most celebrated ancestor of the Lord Jesus.

I have studied Church history for many years and I am yet to find a single move of God that was not persecuted by the previous move of God. Usually this occurs because a spirit of jealousy comes upon the previous move of God, similar to that which came upon Saul, causing him to persecute David. Like all of the Reformers who sincerely hoped to
reform the whole Church and not leave it, but were driven out with no choice but to start a new movement, this has been a repeating cycle in Church history.

Unity is important and is one of the primary desires of the Lord for His people. However, our "love of the truth" must sometimes trump our desire for unity if we are not going to be deceived and are going to be a part of the present purposes of the Lord. Once we see the truth we are responsible to obey it, and sometimes this means that we will be driven out and persecuted by our predecessors, even by the very ones who gave birth to us in the Lord.

Not many of those who have gone forward have done so without reacting to their persecutors with retaliation. However, for those who can maintain David's attitude toward Saul and the Apostle Paul's attitude toward his worse persecutors, the Jews, who he loved so much that he said he would even give up his own salvation to see them saved, they will bear fruit that remains like David and Paul, which is continually increasing to this day.

Rick Joyner

MorningStar Ministries
Email: info@morningstarministries.org

Website : www.morningstarministries.org

Our Apostle and High Priest!

"A Vision of Jesus - Our Apostle and High Priest"

By Catherine Brown

http://www.gatekeepers.org.uk/

A Vision of Apostolos

In a recent vision, I saw the Lord Jesus carrying something precious in His hands. On closer inspection, I noted it was the word "apostolos." As Jesus walked away from me, I was able to see the same word etched into the linen garment He was wearing. The word apostolos had the appearance of being charred as though it had been literally burned into His garment. The word apostolos that Jesus carried emanated fire, yet the fire did not consume it.

Apostolos is translated in Greek to mean "apostle." The Strong's Concordance states: a delegate; specially, an ambassador of the Gospel, officially a commissioner of Christ ("apostle") (with miraculous powers): apostle, messenger, he that is sent.

As a "sent one" an apostle is appointed, i.e. called by God, to walk in the "office" of apostle. The office of apostle is both a kingly and priestly role in which a person is set apart - i.e. anointed by the Holy Spirit to serve in apostolic priestly duties and is authorised and commissioned to function as an apostolic minister. Apostolic duty has a priority to minister first unto the Lord, and thereafter to minister in word and in prayer.

Apostles are authorised to preach (see 1 Corinthians 1:17); authorised to be ambassadors for Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:20; Ephesians 6:20); to be witnesses to all nations (see Luke 24:48) and to make disciples of all peoples (see Matthew 28:19). Apostles are radical lovers of Jesus Christ who understand they have been entrusted with a precious, holy aspect of Christ's own nature and have been imputed with a measure of His grace to fulfil this high calling (see Ephesians 3:2).

The Lamb of God- the Burnt Offering

The Lord instructed the Israelites that the fire on the altar had to be kept burning and that it must never go out (see Leviticus 6:12). The writer of Hebrews describes the Lord Jesus as our Apostle and High Priest (see Hebrews 3:1) who became the sacrificial Lamb of God, the spotless, blameless burnt offering who atoned for the sins of mankind.

"Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: 'Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings You were not pleased.' Then I said, 'Here I am - it is written about Me in the scroll - I have come to do Your will, O God.'" Hebrews 10:5-7

The vision revealed the Lord in the role of High Priest and Apostle. Jesus carried the ministry of apostleship at the same time as being marked as an Apostle. The mantle of apostle was upon His back and speaks of the weight of authority of the office of apostle, thus the vision also reveals the kingly ambassadorial aspect of apostleship. The office of apostle is a high calling and one that is brought forth in a baptism of sacrifice and obedience to Father.

As Jesus prepared to go to the cross, His back was torn wide open when He was lashed for our iniquity; He carried the mantle of apostle as He bled on the cross as the Saviour of the world. In His body, Christ released the apostolic office as a gift to the world; the office of apostle brings forth Christ in His body to reach the world. All apostleship finds its meaning in Jesus the Apostle, sent by God to be the Saviour of the world (see 1 John 4:14).

A Modern Day Movement of Apostles - Burning Signposts of God's Love

In the vision, the Lord moved forward holding the office of apostle in His hands as it burned with holy fire. The action of moving forward speaks of ongoing momentum and continuous movement. Contrary to some cessationist teaching, Jesus reaffirmed by this simple vision that the office of apostle has not ceased but continues on because of His sacrifice at Calvary.

The office of apostle is current, consecrated and to be celebrated by the Church, Christ's Body. The Lord paid a high price for our salvation, and this embraces the five governmental aspects of His mantle imparted to the Church when Christ ascended to the Father's right hand (see Ephesians 4:11).

The Church needs apostles to keep her moving forward in the plans and purposes of God. Apostles lay foundations on which others are then able to build upon to fulfil their Kingdom destinies; apostles help to father movements and mobilise believers in the nations. Apostles have grace and favour to gather and assemble under the unction of Holy Spirit with the purpose of revealing Christ and advancing the Kingdom of God on earth. There are certain divinely inspired legislative strategies and heavenly agendas that can and will only be released and completed when the Church receives the ministry of the apostle.

In the vision the word apostolos burned with holy fire which did not consume it. We understand from Scripture that God's fire consumes all that is unholy, and we note the office of apostle survived the baptism of fire and remained intact. This speaks volumes to us of the sanctified nature of apostolic calling, and the requirement to walk God-ward in tenacious humility and God-reliance for those who are called to walk in apostleship. Fire purifies, and apostles often undergo intense preparation in order to be made ready to carry and administrate the responsibilities entrusted with this mercy-endowed, consecrated office.

There are many modern day apostles who have been in "hiding," i.e. being prepared to be sent forth for such a time as this. I believe that the Lord is releasing grace on the mantle of apostle in this hour and a new apostolic movement is coming forth on the earth in obedience to Christ's call.

Whilst the Bible teaches us that the ministry of a bona fide apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ is marked with "signs, wonders and miracles" (2 Corinthians 12:12), the most poignant of all truths is that genuine Christ-appointed apostles are not concerned with putting on a "show" or seeking after signs, fame or the accolades of men, for their lives are hidden in Christ and they themselves are burning signposts of Christ's radical love to the world.

Alpha and Omega

The vision showed Jesus in the "first place" as Apostle (going forward with the apostolic anointing) and also revealed Christ in the "last place" as Apostle. Each of these aspects point to the Lord as Alpha and Omega and further embraces the aspects of Christ's servant kingship. The apostolic ministry is a pioneering "kingly" type of ministry that opens up new territory for the Gospel message, and in this manner it is "first and last," being willing to embrace all aspects of taking up one's cross, even laying down one's life unto martyrdom.

Apostolic ministry has to be unflinching in its commitment to being ground-breaking so that Gospel seeds can be planted, nurtured and grown to maturity in the hearts of men, women and children throughout the world. In relation to the kingly, i.e. ruling, aspect of apostleship, it is important to note that apostles have a God-assigned sphere of influence, "We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you" (2 Corinthians 10:13).

Notwithstanding, the apostolic mandate is unceasing in its desire to open up unchartered territory for the glory of God, "Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man's territory" (2 Corinthians 10:15-16).

Apostolic Paradigm

The apostolic ministry is "first" in governmental office according to 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Ephesians 4:11, meaning that tremendous God-given authority and compassion has been entrusted to those called as apostles. This is not a hierarchical ministry but one that seeks to serve in anointed leadership. Apostles are trained by the Holy Spirit to be uncompromising in Christ-like values and vision.

Ephesians 4 reveals God's heart for the five-fold ministry offices to work in unity, "There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all," so that the Church may attain the full measure of the stature of Christ. With the continued emergence of end-time apostles, the global Church will experience a paradigm shift in leadership models/trends and will become increasingly apostolic in function, ministry and nature.

The things that are placed in the Lord's hands are to be considered precious, and when God breathes upon them they are multiplied as manna for the nations. The gifts that flow from the hands of Christ are sanctified for works, witness, and worship and walking with Him. In this instance, the hands of our Saviour held the office of apostle.

Apostolic ministry is a gift to the Body of Christ, and when the Church receives apostles - there will be acceleration of Kingdom activity including church planting, building up the Body of Christ, receiving revelatory strategy and heavenly blueprints, along with an ability to wage spiritual warfare at a cross-continental level in apostolic intercession.

Ordained By God

Governmental aspects of leadership enable the Church to rule and reign to full effectiveness as Christ's ambassadors on the earth. Without government a nation would quickly descend into anarchy, with order being overtaken by chaos. In like manner, God in His wisdom has decreed that His government should be carried on the shoulders of apostles alongside the other ascension gifts of prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. Elders, deacons and bishops also help to carry the responsibility of governance in local congregations.

As a forerunner ministry (another aspect of being "first"), apostleship is a gift of God's grace to the Church to enable her to reign/serve and mature in sonship. Apostolic authority is given by God to protect His sheep and provide fatherly instruction, covering and direction.

The Light of Apostleship

Going back to the symbolism of the vision, another aspect of fire is that it provides light. In the beginning God said, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3). Light brings disclosure and revelation. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world" (John 9), and went on to heal a man, who had been born blind, at the pool named Siloam. Siloam means "sent."

Jesus, the Light of the world, was sent by His Father and opened the eyes of a man who could not see. There is a divine connection between being sent and being able to bring fresh revelation of the Father heart of God, His wonder-working power and the things of the Kingdom into clear perception and accessibility.

Christ opened eyes that were both physically and spiritually blind. Yet Jesus spoke to the Pharisees of His day and said they were blinded to the truth. Apostolic ministry brings forth the light of revelation and speaks with authority to dismantle religious mindsets and demonic alliances that deny Christ's authority. It opens eyes to see both the God of all creation and the glorious gospel in a dynamic way.

In emulating the Master an apostle is called by lifestyle example and divine calling to be a light to the Church, and the Church likewise is called to be a light to the nations, just as Israel is called as light for the Gentiles.

Jesus tells us, "Let your light shine before men" (Matthew 5:16). The ministry of apostles was made to shine in the darkness so that God might move in creative power and realign destinies of individuals, communities, churches and nations in accordance with His will and His word.

"Father, in humble obedience I pray with apostolic authority for all those called as apostles to come forth in Jesus' name, that Your Church might enter into a fresh dispensation of apostolic grace and favour and all glory be ascribed to Your Name. For Jesus' sake. Amen."

Catherine Brown

Gatekeepers Global Ministries

Email: admin@gatekeepers.org.uk