Grow The Real Church Beyond The Walls

TAKE TIME TO READ THIS AND YOU WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CHANGE YOUR WHOLE OUTLOOK ON CHRISTIANITY.

Have you ever wondered why the Christian church is so divided? Have you ever wondered why man-made traditions are rampant in most churches; whether it's old denominational traditions or newer Charismatic traditions?

What do I mean by traditions? It's really following the ways of how it's being done in our lifetime. Some churches follow after what was done during the Reformation. Others follow the Wesleyan period. Others follow the Roman Catholic traditions or the Anglo Catholic traditions. Some follow the Presbyterian traditions and others like to modernize to go with the times. Whether it's a Mega Church or a small country church, they all follow similar patterns. Church buildings are structured to accommodate these traditions. Older building (places of worship) usually have older style church services where newer buildings are usually more contemporary.

Of course we have Missionaries and Evangelists that hold crusades and street preachers who win sinners, but many of their converts are left to themselves and fall away or end up becoming Sunday morning pew warmers in a church.

Whenever a new church is established, or a larger facility to accommodate growth, the people involved hardly ever go back to the source to see what a church really is. They make comparisons to see what others have done. They go to a reputable church architect to have a building built that will attract people. Then they are taken up with building structures, furniture, pews, or comfortable chairs, lighting, sound, altar or platform, pulpit or podium; organ, piano, or worship team. Less wealthy congregations will either rent a building, a shop front, or buy an old empty denominational building before it's turned into a Mosque.

Why all this emphasis about buildings or (houses of worship) anyway. What is the source that I'm talking about? The answer is the New Testament. In a moment you will read an article that could change or even revolutionize your whole approach to what church really is in God's eyes.

We had something very much like this back in England in the early seventies,but it never grew to the size depicted in the following article, although it did developed into a large network of house churches all over the country,where God opened the door in many schools and colleges in different towns and large numbers of students were saved and filled with the spirit and joined the movement. Our book, "Living in Revival," by David and Kathie Walters (Author) tells this story. Here is the article. Twenty one steps to revolutionize our churches.

Mega Church To Meta (Beyond) Church

By Victor Choudhrie

21 Steps to transit from being a barren church to a millionaire of souls.

1. Rewrite the job description of the professional clergy from that of a pulpit orator, sacrament dispenser and tithe gatherer, to that of a shepherd who feeds his flock to be healthy and reproducing, by encouraging them to practice the priesthood of all believers with authority to baptize, break bread and equip fishers of men. He must model a flat church structure wherein brothers and sisters submit to one another, pray one for another, serve one another, exhort, forgive and love each other. John 13:34-35; Matt.18:21-22; Eph. 5:21

2. Move from meeting in temples to gathering in 'houses of peace'. 'God does not dwell in temples made by human hands'; rather He dwells in human hearts. For we are the mobile walking and talking temples of the living God, with a maximum of organism and a minimum of organization. Luke 10:5-9; Matt. 10:11-13; Acts 7:48-49; 2 Cor. 6:16

3. Phase out programmed Sunday 'services' while implementing informal, small gatherings. The Bride of Christ must have intimacy with her Lord every day,not only for a couple of hours a week, lest she become unfaithful. However,discourage cross-gender disciple-making, lest chemistry foul things up. Acts2:46-47; Heb. 3:13

4. Replace Mosaic tithing with Christian sharing, thereby harnessing the enormous, financial resources, hospitality and goodwill available in Christian homes. Believe that God is going to work a work among the nations through you, which will leave you utterly amazed, and also provide resources for it. Deut. 8:17-18; Acts 5:32-34; Hab. 1:5

5. Dispense with wafer-and-sip Holy Communion and promote breaking of bread with simple Agape meals (love feasts) from house to house, that believers take with glad hearts, 'and the Lord added to His numbers daily'. The Lord served roast lamb, bitter herbs, bread and wine 'in a house' for the Last Supper. Father God had lunch with Abraham under a tree and discussed Sarah's pregnancy, Sodom's ruin and Lot's rescue plan. Acts 2:46-47; 1 Cor.11:20-23;Gen Chap 18.

6. Replace professional music with believers speaking to each other in psalms and spiritual songs, making melody in their hearts to the Lord. OT worship required the sacrifice of four-footed beasts; the NT celebrates by offering two-legged Gentiles as a living sacrifice. The meta-church is a discipling hub and not a singing club. Eph 5:19; Col 3:16; Rom. 15:16

7. Shift from being a spectator-oriented church to a 'metastasizing',interactive, participatory, prophetic church. Empower men, women and youth, to get the dragon off the driver's seat. We, the seed of Abraham are blessed; "with multiplying I will multiply you and your seed will possess the gates of the enemy". It is time Abraham's seed got on the driver's seat.1 Cor.14:26-31; Acts 13:13; 18:4; Gen. 22:17-18; Gal. 3:27-29

8. For a powerful synergy, metamorphose mega-churches into city, regional and national networks of 'meta' (beyond) churches. Instead of gathering under one roof, have them gather under a thousand roofs, just like the mega church at Jerusalem planted meta-churches across Judea, Samaria, Antioch, Corinth, Rome and beyond (Gk. meta) that grew in faith and in numbers (both quality and quantity), daily. Rom. 16:3-15; Acts 1:8; 16:5.

9. Infect the barren Bride with the multiplication virus. A healthy mature female (Bride) implies that she is ready to have babies. Rebecca, the Bride of Isaac, was blessed by her family to have millions of children. The time has come for the Bride of Christ to stretch her tent to the left and to the right, to the north and to the south, to produce millions of meta-churches,and fill the earth. Gen. 24:60; Isa. 54:1-5; Acts 1:8

10. Know your identity in Christ: You are a royal-priest, made so by the blood of the Lamb. Dismantle the 'Reverend' culture that divides clergy from layman. Like Melchizedek, the royal-priest of Salem (City of Peace), who served bread and wine, took a tithe and blessed Abraham, bring godly governance to your city. Catch the vision of cloning royal-priests for every city, and run with it. 1 Pet.2:9; Rev.5:10; Hab.2:1-3; Isa. 9:6-7; Gen. 14:18

11. Challenge purposeless churches to enunciate a clear vision and to lay out a road map to translate that vision into action plans to 'do greater things than these'. Armed with maps, stats and the Great Commission go two by two and teach the divine arithmetic of planting just one multiplying church every month. In ten short months, even the least shall plant a thousand meta-churches. John 14:12; Acts 16:5; Luke 10:1-2; Isa. 60:22

12. Unglue from their pews all those Christians who sit, soak and stagnate,and send them to heal the sick, raise the dead, tread on snakes and scorpions (expel demons), bind the 'strongman', plunder his possessions, and demolish the gates of Hell. Doggedly pursue demon demolition drive until 'the kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdom of our Lord and His Christ.' Matt.11:12; 12:29; 16:18-19; Mark 16:17-18; Luke 10:19; Rev.11:15.

13. Resurrect from being a dead organization to a living organism. Replace all extra-biblical, cosmetic titles like Director, Chairman, CEO, and Secretary by appointing fivefold ministry- gifted Elders, like apostles,prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers, as equippers. Healthy feeding and leading will keep the flock thriving and fertile and build bridges with the 'other sheep which are not of this fold'. Eph.4:11; Tit. 1:5-9; John 10:16.

14. Empower every Sunday school, Bible school, prayer cell, women's fellowship, and cottage meeting, by calling them full-fledged, authentic churches. They must make disciples who baptize, break bread, equip laborers and send missionaries, and, like the school of Tyrannus, change the spiritual demography. 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Acts 19:8-12

15. Filter out non-performing goats who come only for hatching (baby baptisms), matching (weddings) and dispatching (funerals), and replace them with sheep who take care of the hungry, thirsty, naked, strangers, sick and prisoners. Culling the non-productive sheep is an integral part of the 'best practices' of sheep rearing. God chose David to shepherd Israel because he took care of "the ewes great with young". Matt. 25:31-46; Ps. 78:70-72

16. Simplify disciple making. Get a Bible and invite a couple of truth-seekers for a meal where the main dish is - The Lamb. Redefine authentic church as wherever two or three friends meet to eat, to gossip the gospel, and to multiply. Meta-church is the most cost effective strategy for city penetration and reaching the ends of the earth. Acts 2:46-47.

17. Replace seminary training with sharing the whole wisdom of God from house to house. Sound doctrine is the ability to convince those who oppose. The lost of this world do not need scholars as much as they need spiritual fathers and mothers who bring many spiritual sons and daughters to glory. Acts 20:20, 27; Tit. 1:9; 1 Cor. 4:15; 2 Tim. 2:2; Heb 2:10.

18. Reorient your personal paradigm. Your business, workplace or home,wherever you spend most of your time, is your 'primary nuclear church'. It matters little whether you are the CEO, or the janitor or the kitchen queen; you are a full-time minister there and accountable. Adam and Eve were accountable for the Garden of Eden, and they failed.

19. Recognize 'Hi, there,' 'Hello,' handshaking, Sunday church as your 'secondary, optional church'. A church that does not send you out to 'raise your holy hands to pray everywhere ' and equip you to make Christ 'high and lifted up' in your home, workplace and neighborhood is not worth going to. 1Tim. 2:8; Isa. 6:1

20. Re-set your priorities to preach Christ where He has not been named. For this you do not have to go to church from Sunday to Sunday nor work from paycheck to paycheck. You are "ordained" to be fruitful, to multiply, and to fill your home, workplace, neighborhood and the city with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Matt. 6:33; Rom. 15:20;John 15:16; Gen. 1:28; Hab. 2:14

21. Adopt a 'completion mindset'. Evaluate your ministry by the Great Commission as its mandate, and for benchmarks the numbers of disciples made, baptized, equipped and sent out. Aim to become a millionaire of souls. Why not? After all, you believe in a great, awesome God for whom nothing is impossible. At the very least, like Peter, shoot for 3000 baptisms by every Pentecost. Or like Paul, plant a multiplying church every day, till you can claim that there are no more places left here for you to 'fully preach the gospel', not just with words, 'but with signs and mighty deeds'. Acts 2:41; 16:5; Rom.15:19, 23.

Shalom and Shalom again.

*Victor Choudhrie is a cancer surgeon by profession. He is a Senior Fellow of the American and British Colleges of Surgeons. He left his position as Director and CEO of the Christian Medical college, Ludhiana, Punjab, India, in 1992, to take up a full-time Church planting ministry in central India. His wife, Bindu, is also in a full-time church planting ministry, equipping women to be house-church leaders and trainers. They now have disciples making disciples in some forty countries. Theirs is presently amongst the fastest growing movements deploying volunteers with no paid workers in the field. God has blessed this ministry abundantly. In the year from Pentecost 2009 to Pentecost 2010, over one million underwent a ‘holy dip’ through their ministry partners. Large numbers of grassroots level leaders have been trained, who, subsequently, have planted tens of thousands of house churches across India and abroad.

Website : http://www.indiagateway.net/operation/index.htm

Who is an Apostle?

Who is an Apostle?

By Abraham Israel

Q: How does one know 'who' is an Apostle? I would like you to tell me, can a Pastor call himself an "Apostle"?

A: Apostles exibit certain characteristics just like any other member of the 5-fold gifted ministry office that is given by the Jesus for the equipping of the saints, work of the ministry and edifying fo the body of Christ (Eph 4:11-12).


Some people do not like the fivefold ministries to be called as office and want to be called as a function. It is just a semantic play because 'function' means 'The action for which a person or thing is particularly fitted or employed, assigned duty or activity, a specific occupation or role' and the word 'office' means 'A duty or function assigned to or assumed by someone, a position of authority, duty, or trust given to a person, as in a government or corporation.' With out authority in the hand of a person, nobody can be a leader. Paul has spoken a few times in his epistles about the apostolic authority that God has given to him to build the saints spiritually (2 Cor 10:8; 13:10). The only difference in the arena of spiritual leadership is that, even though these five-fold ministers have the Holy Ghost authority in their hand, they serve the people of God with a servant heart attitude that Jesus Himself displayed through out His time of ministry on earth (1 Thes 4:7-8; Tit 2:15; Matt 20:25-28).


The word 'apostle' in the Greek is apostollos or "one sent forth" as an ambassador of the Gospel. An apostle is a minister who is sent directly by God to do a specific work, in a specific place, to a specific group of people and for a specific time.


Jesus Himself is the chief apostle of all apostles and saints alike because he is the one apostle sent by the Father God  to all the humans on earth and have become their one and only Mediator and Saviour between God and men (Heb 3:1; 1 Tim 2:5-6; John 17:18). Jesus is the only and only apostle of the Father (John 6:57; 8:16, 18). Just like Jesus was sent in to the world to do a specific work of fulfilling the salvation of all men (John 3:16-17), Jesus chooses apostles to do a particular type of work and then sends them in to the world to fulfill his purpose (John 20:21-23). Jesus chose twelve disciples for special training to do a great apsotolic work of proclaiming His goodnews of salvation after His depature from planet earth (Luke 6:13; 9:10). Judas fell out of this list because of transgression and Matthias was listed as a substitute to fill the apostolic office of Judas (Acts 1:26). These twelve apostles cannot be replaced by any other person as they were eternally honored to be the twelve foundations of the city of God which is New Jerusalem (Rev 21:14). Then apostle Paul who was chosen by God and commissioned directly by Jesus Himself, after His Ascension, to carry the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:3-6, 15-16). In the above list Peter had a dominant primary apostolic call to touch the Jews and then a secondary call to the Gentiles along with it. Paul just had it vice-versa to Peter (Gal 2:8).

After this the Holy Spirit chose Paul and Barnabus and sent them forth as apostles in action (Acts 13:1-4). Even though they had the apostolic call over their lives, till then they were just working as evangelists (Acts 9:20, 22, 29; 11:23-24), pastors, teachers and prophets in the Antioch Church (Acts 11:25-26; 13:1). But once separated and sent out by the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:4), they were first called apostles only later when God began to do great miracles, signs and wonders at Iconium (Acts 14:3-4). What does this show, a person might have an apostolic calling but that does not mean they can start this apostolic ministry once they decide to start their ministry. An apostle in realeased in to the fulness of his apostolic ministry only after much training is received from the Lord through working as a pastor, teacher, evangelist or a prophet. In other words the apostles must be mature men of God who were already trained for years together by the Lord in other offices of ministry until the time for apostolic work comes and they start to do great signs and wonders (2 Cor 12:12).


The apostles were able to do signs and wonders directly during the ministry time of Jesus on earth because they were sent out with the very own anointing of Jesus over them (Luke 9:1-2, 6, 10; 10:1, 17-19; 17:14-21; Matt 9:15; Mark 2:19-20; Lule 5:34-35).


This brings us to another question, can a pastor, evangelist, teacher or prophet can be apostle. The answer is yes and no. It is yes, if the other four five-fold ministry members also have a calling of an apostle in his life and a strong no if they does not have it in his life. If a pastor, evangelist, teacher or prophet does not also have a calling of an apostle, they can become apostolic by coming under a strong apostle's influence in their life (Acts 2:42-43; 4:33; 6:5-7).


Many others were also named as Apostles in the New Testament like Silas and Timothy (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2:1, 6), Andronicus and Junia (Romans 16:7), Titus and two unnamed brothers (messengers=apostolos) (2 Corinthians 8:23). And we know that this above list cannot fit in to Peter's requirement for an apostle, who he demanded to have been with Jesus right through his earthly ministry from John's baptism until His ascension (Acts 1:21-23). Even apostle Paul do not fit this category because he came to know Jesus only after His ascension and saw Jesus in a vision, as a result he was comissioned to be an apostle directly by Jesus (Acts 26:13-19). So these above apostolic call is neither part of the 12 original apostles of Jesus, nor the foundational apostles who wrote the New testment oracles by revelation of Jesus (Gal 1:11-12; 2:1-2; 1 Cor 11:23; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1).  But these above apostles are the apostolic gifts of Jesus that he gave to the Church when he took captivity captive and then went to heaven. These men are gifts in order to empower His people and thus extend His kingdom through out the whole world (Eph 4:7-11). These apostolic men are called specifically for enlarging of God's kingdom, whether man acknowledges the calling or not. These category of apostles have been continuing for the last two thousand years and no where did Jesus revoke just the category of apostles and then prophets. It is true that the Church has not recognised many apostles and prophets in spite of knowing that they were sent by God with a specific message to turn the Body of Christ towards him. The ministry of these mighty men of God has been neglected and thus have grieved the Holy Spirit of God greatly. Many of them have been killed and persecuted in the past because of their audacity to point out sin in the life of men in the Church like John the baptist (Luke 11:49; Matt 14:3-5).


So once again God is sending specific apostles in our end time generation with a specific end time message before the second coming of Jesus, to do a great thrust in order to fully harvest the fullness of souls in this end time harvest (Rom 11:25-26).


So we can use these following characteristics to check and evaluate to identify these above apostles of Jesus to the Church in our generation,

1) Signs and Wonders


Apostle Paul told that the clear sign of an apostle is the accomplishment of all signs, wonders and mighty deeds through the patient perseverance of following the Lord, even at a great personal price for His great apostolic anointing to flow through them. This is a aunthentic requirement and a must for all apostolic ministries and apostles. Paul says, "... in nothing was I behind the most eminent apostles, though I am nothing. 12 Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds. 13 For what is it in which you were inferior to other churches, except that I myself was not burdensome to you? Forgive me this wrong!" (2 Cor 12:11-13). The other thing that the apostles will be doing is to make the saints believe that miracles are possible through faith and will activate the saints to replicate the miracles through their lives to affect many people around them with the message of the gospel (Gal 3:5, 1-2).

2) Visionaries


The Bible says "Where there is no vision, the people perish..." (Prov 29:18, KJV). The apostles are the master builders of men in the kingdom fo God (1 Cor 3:10). Because of clarity in vision, word and direction, they will be able to raise up believers in strong foundational faith. The apostles will have a clear blue print and a picture in their mind, of what they will be doing in a particular period of time. They are not men without direction. By having clear vision they will be directing the apostlolic saints to be responsible men for the fulfillment of the apsotolic vision from God. This vision from God will drive apostles and will dominate them. Even apostle Paul was a vision driven man, this is the reason a few years before the end of his life when he was brought before a king to defend his life activities, he boldly said, " 19  “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then  to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance." (Acts 26:19-20).

3) Pioneers


The apostles are pioneers who will have an audacious and contagious faith to propagate a new vision and a direction of God. This will bring new moves of God and new revelation from the Word of God. They will start a new work rather than join in a existing work of God which will not be flexible enough for them to fulfill the God-given vision in their lives at the appointed time. Apostle Paul's open hearted talk in his epistles to Romans reveals this pioneering spirit that was dominantly influencing him until his end. Hear what he is saying regarding this, "18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient— 19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. 20 And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation." (Rom 15:18-20).

4) Lead by Example


Apostles always lead the saints by example rather than just empty words. Apostle Paul says, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." (1 Cor 11:1) and "...I urge you, imitate me." (1 Cor 4:16). The apostles eyes will always be on learning Christ and His ways only (Heb 12:2). The one and only hero for them will be Christ only. The sacrificial life that they lead will always inspire the apostolic followers to be inspired for a similar walk in their own lives. They will be servant hearted leaders rather than a fleshly and a lording [i.e. bossy] leader who uses authority to manipulate peoples lives (Matt 20:25-28; Mark 10:42-25). Hear what the apostle Paul is saying regarding the apostolic attitude with which he was serving the saints of God, " 19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you." (1 Cor 9:19-23). The apostle Paul also exhorted his apostolic son in the Lord [i.e. Timothy] to "...be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim 4:12) in order to inspire them to live godly apostolic lives and also keep himself from being accused of wrongdoings which will make the message he preaches to be despised by them.

5) God-Pleaser's and Not Man-Flatterer's


The apostles will never try to please the crowd no matter how large it is. They will be men whose only satisfaction in life comes to them only when they knew deep inside their heart that they have pleased God for whom they have given their whole life as a sacrifice (Rom 12:1). Apostles are God's voluntary bond-sevants. Servants earn their wages and will stop to work for their master if they are not paid. But bond-servants have no rights of their own and will have their ears pierced by their master as a sign that he will forever be the master's slave with no rights of his own. In the Old Testament times after Exodus from Egypt, under the law the ear was bored, or fastened with an awl to the door, in order to express that the Israelite was attached to the master's house as a slave, to obey forever (Exod 21:5-6). This piercing cannot be done easily unless the master is pleased with that servant and that servant loves his master heartily. In the Book of Hebrews 10:5-7 is a Old Testament verse that was originally taken from Psalm 40:6-8 by the writer to the Hebrews. But a important line has not been written in the book of Hebrews which comes inbetween Heb 10:5 and Heb 10:6, and that is the phrase "My ears You have opened" (Psa 40:6, b). These verses actually refers to Jesus becoming a slave of God to fulfill His will on earth (Isa 50:5, 4). Actually in the spiritual realm once Jesus gave Himself to fulfill the will of God voluntarily, His spiritual ears have been pierced by God as a sign of being a bond-slave. And thus Jesus was able to hear God clearly in order to obey His every word on earth, this is what Jesus described in John 8:26 as "... I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him". Hearing God, obeying it and pleasing Him will be the first priority of all the true apostles (John 8:29; Gal 1:10). True apostles will not flatter men but will truly be sold out God-Pleasers.

6)  Exhibit Fatherly and Motherly Love


The apostles will have a heart of a father and a mother. A father's heart will have a quality to discipline and chastise to make their sons and daughters to become more and more like him in all things (Heb 12:7-8, 10-11). Even during the chastenings time the father will feel pity inside him for their children, but will feel great to see the change and tranformation in their bad behaviour at the end of it (Ps 103:13). The more a child becomes molded in to his own image the greater will be the satisfaction of the father. Apostles will always discipline and rebuke the saints with a spiritual father's heart of love (Prov 9:8; 15:31; 24:25; 28:23; 1 Cor 13:4-7; 1 Thess 2:11). The apostles will also have a mother's gentle heart of nourishing, caring and comforting the saints in all their troubles (1 Thess 2:7; 2 Cor 1:3-4, 6).


The apostles will feel happy when their spiritual sons and daugthers become established in the faith and become exceedingly great with the glory of God. They will not feel insecure, fearful and envious to see their childrens display greater gifts and accuracy than them in spiritual things. There is no greater satisfaction to them than seeing their spiritual sons and daughters to become greater than them. Elijah must have been greatly happy to see his spiritual son Elisha live with the double portion of the anointing with which he himself lived while on earth. This will be the same with all true apostolic spiritual father's.

7) Endure Hardships and Persecutions


The apostles will always have a great enduring character to depend absolutely on God to sustain them in their calling. They wil not be detered by anykind of harship, no matter whether it is demonic or from people. But the apostles will always have their eyes on Jesus as the captain of their salvation and deliverance (Heb 12:2; 2:10). Jesus will strengthen their heart personally when in discouragement or God may send angelic impartation of great heavenly strength to them supernaturally as he gave strength to Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane (Acts 22:17-21; 27:23-25; 18:9-10; 23:11; Matt 26:37; Luke 22:43).


Hear from the mouth of one of the most exemplary and eminent apostle of all time of how much he endured extreme hardship and persecution to fulfill his apostolic call to completion, "11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now." (1 Corinthians 4:11-13). Paul the Apostle commended his apostolic ministry as genuine by the kind of persecution and harship he endured, rather than by the kind of special miracles that happened through him (Acts 19:11; 15:4, 12). He said, " 23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? 30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying." (2 Corinthians 11:23-31). Inspite of all the harships they endure, the concern for all the churches becomes the top priority for the true apostles.

Apostolic Letter #1

Dear precious family members of the 'Household of faith",

You are someone special in the sight of the Lord. 

The Lord has chosen you all to be an end time apostolic warriors for His glory. 

We are not called to wage war physically like all the religious people who do and increase hatred against one another as Jesus had already predicted in this end time generation of ours (Matt 24:12), but we wage spiritual warfare against Satan and his demonic cohorts to exhibit the power of God to the whole world in the spiritual realm which always affects the natural (Eph 6:12).

I want this group to understand that we are the 'Household of Faith' and are one family in Christ beyond denominational, demographic and geographic boundary of the nations. I want all the apostolic's to understand God's perspective in segmenting nations. The Apostle Paul says, "26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." (Act 17:26-27). The things we can glean from the above scriptures are, 

1) Around the world we as the people of God in the 'Household of Faith' are made from one blood. God started our life through our ancestral father Adam and Eve (Gen 2:7, 20-25; 3:20; 1 Peter 2:10; Gal 6:10). 

2) We are made to dwell or live peaceably and joyfully in the Lord on all the face of the earth (Rom 13:10; 12:18; Phil 4:4).

3) You must understand that in this century at this time and the place where you are living are not at all by chance, but God determined you to be born in our generation for His glory. You are in your nation because God has preappointed you to be born in it. God says that even before you were born I know you and it I who formed you in your mothers womb (Jer 1:4-5). This is why the Bible says, "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men" (Col 3:23). This shows that you have a purpose in God to fulfill before you leave this earth and you are uniquely gifted to fulfill a particular thing for God's glory which no other person in the entire universe can replicate or compete (James 1:17; 1 Peter 4:10-11; 1 Cor 12:7). All are gifted but each of us are called to different function in this 'Household of Fatih' (Rom 12:3-8).

4) The purpose of being born and be present in this earth in such a time as this is to grope and search for the Lord our Creator, Sustainer, Father, Friend and our everything in this life and in the life to come, and find Him more and more progressively before we die to be with Him forever. This is the only place and time God has given us to "walk by faith and not by sight" (2 Cor 5:7). But the fact is, even though we do not see Him now with our physical eyes, He is closer than the very air we breathe. In Him we live and move and have our being and have become His dear children because we have received Jesus Christ the Son of God as our Savior and Lord of our lives (Acts 17:28; John 1:12). What a privilege to live in this God's garden of planet earth as His dear children. Love Him and live for Him by fearing our lover of our spirit, soul and body, this is all man's all (Eccl 12:13). Praise the Lord! 

It is this apostolic journey with a prophetic edge that I envision, where I will share edification, exhortation and comfort like this in the coming days (1 Cor 14:3). 

Feel free to write to me for prayer request or anything regarding the word of God. I want you to understand that together we grown in the Lord. Thank you. Never forget, "I love you all and Jesus loves us all." 

Apostolically Yours in Christ,

Abraham Israel

So What Do You Mean By Apostolic?

Define and Explain, What is Apostolic and its Characteristics?

By Abraham Israel

Define Apostolic in One Sentence?

"It is the legitimate Govermental means for birthing babies in to the kingdom and then bringing them to maturity as Sons" - Jubal Johnson


What is Apostolic?

Apostolic : "Pertaining to an apostle, or to the apostles, their times, or their peculiar spirit, pioneers of a new move of God." 

Apostolic is an adjective of the word 'apostle'. It is usually used in the way a group of people draw the grace of God that is given to an apostle.

1) Apostolic is God's ordained and a legitimate governmental means of God on earth through which He builds his Church family and dwells among them in His glory (Luke 11:49; Eph 4:11; 1 Thess 1:1; 2:3-4, 6; Matt 16:18; 18:20).

2) It is the means through which babies are birthed in to God's Kingdom (1 Cor 3:1-2; 1 Cor 4:15; Gal 4:19).

3) It is the process in which the spiritual babies are trained to become as a sons and daughters of God in His kingdom (Gal 3:26; Rom 8:15; Eph 4:12-16; Heb 5:12-14).

4) The Bible says, "Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the temple of the LORD;" (Zech 6:12). So from the preceding Scripture we can see and understand that Jesus is the chief apostle who is the ultimate example of all apsotolics and from Him we derive an apostolic anointing to build the temple of the Lord which is our body [i.e. spirit, soul and body (1 Thess 5:23-24)] (Heb 3:1; Matt 10:25).

5) Jesus is the "cheif cornerstone" and the only foundation (1 Peter 2:6-8; 1 Cor 3:11) on which the twelve apostles were the foundations who later built themselves on Jesus through all the Old Testament prophets who acted as a cement mortar to build "New Jerusalem Temple" higher and higher for His glory (Rev 21:22; Eph 2:20; Matt 7:24-29). The Lord Jesus is building the New Jerusalem not with a material stone like the temple Solomon built in Israel, but with "living stones" of believers lives. They are all "being built up [together] as a spiritual house" (1 Peter 2:5).

The Characteristics of an Apostolic

1) The Apostolic believers live beyond religion in a day to day intimate relationship of joyful intimacy and ecstasy with GOD THROUGH CHRIST in a NEW and LIVING WAY (Heb 4:14-16; 10:20; James 4:8; 1 John 1:3-4).

2) The Apostlic believers do not care much about tradition and dead letter of doctrines which always is with out the breath of the Spirit present in it (Mark 7:13-16; 2 Cor 3:6), instead the law of God will be written inside their hearts which the Holy Spirit will consistently bring in to their mind according to the need of the situation they are in (2 Cor 3:2; Heb 10:15-18; 1 Cor 9:2; Matt 4:1, 4, 7, 10).

3) The Apostolics have a passion not only to live a godly apostolic lifestyle but also a intense desire to see the kingdom of God spread in all the world like a wild fire and turn the world upside down by the power of God (2 Tim 4:7; 1 Tim 4:6-7; Acts 17:6; Rom 15:18-20). The apsotolics deal the fire of persecution from Satan and his minions with the fire of God's persistence, sovereign protection, and a spirit of rejoicing and praise for the opportunity that God has given them to go through hardship in this only life and as a result of it receive His superabundant and satisfying grace in exchange (2 Tim 3:12; Acts 4:19; 5:18, 29, 40-41; 16:25; 1 Peter 4:14; 2 Cor 12:9-10).

4) Apostolics are partakers of God's grace given to the apostles by a relational family bonding of sharing and caring for each other (Phil 1:7; 2 Cor 12:14-15; 1 Thess 2:7, 11; 1 Tim 1:2).

5) Apostolics are also those who are in touch and connection with a person who has a calling of an apostle (2 Tim 1:1; Eph 4:11), and follow the ways that they teach to receive an apostolic grace to come upon their lives (Acts 2:42). God gives much grace to all the real apostles whom he chooses to mainly bring a restructuring in faith that will always establish a believer in Christ (1 Cor 3:10; 15:10; Rom 12:3; Eph 3:2, 7-8; Gal 4:19; 1 Cor 4:15). Then once the grace is received, each one is expected to walk in it and be blessed like the apostles are blessed in their lives (1 Cor 4:15, 17; Eph 3:17; Phil 3:17; 4:13).

6) The apostolic believers who are sent in to the world [i.e. apostolic] by Jesus as his disciples (Mark 16:15; Matt 28:19-20; John 20:21), learn to live in it but not of it (John 17:11, 16). The power of God's abundant apostolic grace will move a apostolic believer to make an impact in the part of the world where they live, not just by the message they preach in these end of end times, but by their lifestyle [i.e. just like Jesus] (Acts 1:1, 8; 8:1, 4).

Of course these cycles never end in the life of an apostolic because it is not an event but a process that leads to the fulfillment of their GLORIOUS DESTINY, unfolding bit by bit even as they walk ahead in it with Jesus daily (Mark 16:20). Amen!!!

Apostolic Blessings......

Abraham Israel