To Be A Great Preacher, Learn From Jesus!

Jesus – Our Example As A Preacher

The world has never seen a better preacher than our Lord Jesus Christ. It should be the aim of every preacher to preach like Him, as far as possible.

There is an old book on the preaching style of Jesus that was published in 1910, titled “The Master Preacher” (It is out of print now and not available). It is an excellent study but a very large book and heavy to read (319 pages). Some of the main points mentioned in it are listed below.

I have also attached an article that I wrote some years ago about my own style of preaching – as I have sought to follow Jesus’ example.

Studying the preaching style of Jesus will challenge you to change your preaching style. Don’t hold on to your own style or the style of preaching found in Christendom today, where you see that Jesus’ style was different. Be bold and humble enough to change. Determine to follow Jesus’ example radically. You will then find that God supports you mightily and blesses your ministry.

We need more examples today of preachers who preach like Jesus did.

Zac Poonen

THE MASTER PREACHER 

By A.R.Bond 

(Published - 1910) 

(Now in public domain) 

(Some quotes from the book)

Jesus did not have any fixed hours for His preaching. He was at work at all times of the year and was intensely active throughout His public ministry. All classes of people made up His audience and He had an appropriate message for each one. He preached to the multitudes publicly, but much more to His twelve disciples privately. He travelled all over Israel and addressed the village and town crowds with equal ease. Individuals received the same care from Him as the multitudes did. He did not prefer the poor simply because of their poverty. The rich could come to Him too if they humbled themselves.

In the first three gospels, we read of 31 conversations that Jesus had with 28 persons on 24 occasions. In John's gospel, we read of 24 conversations that he had with 17 people. 8 conversations that He had with Peter are highlighted.

Jesus saw the importance of every opportunity and never let any of them slip. John 3:10 & 4:18 are instances of His making use of the times of sensitivity to religious truths, and reaching each person with an appropriate message (not just a standard one).

Jesus was always freely approachable and He made much of the individual. He had a special consideration for women and children, even if it meant that at times he had to go against the social norms of His day (as in John 4). He was the friend of sinners – right up to the end.

Jesus preached in the temple, in the synagogues and in the open-air. He preached in the homes of people – disregarding their social position, their financial standing and their purity.

He always got the attention of people when He preached. His preaching was always serious and passionate. He avoided joking and lightheartedness in His messages and never trifled with the great truths of eternity. He was always dignified. His preaching was conversational in style and He encouraged people to ask questions. His personality was authoritative and His insight into man's thought-processes was remarkably accurate. Each message He preached fitted the occasion.

HIS METHODS

His home at Nazareth brought Him in touch with the middle-class of society, and His sympathetic heart led Him to discover the condition of the poor and the unfortunate in society. He used the religious ideas of His day as a starting point and then exposed their errors.

Intellectually, Jesus made His preaching understandable to His audience and adapted it to the level of His hearers (Mark 4:33). He was simple, yet deep, and never used fancy words. The mind being the door to the emotions and will, He touched the mind first.

The emotions of His audience were aroused by Jesus’ preaching. Amazement is recorded on 34 occasions on the part of the audience. On 18 occasions, sorrow is mentioned as being caused or alleviated by Him. There was also, anger, joy, jealousy, hope and hatred. His aim in arousing such emotions was never to satisfy Himself or for sensationalism, but always to lead people to right living.

The will was what Jesus finally sought to move in men in all His preaching. He worked towards this goal – to get men to submit totally to the will of God.

His logic. He established his points step by step. Matthew 19:17; 6:28ff; 10:25; 11:16ff; 12:24ff; 7:9ff; 12:11; Luke 11:5ff; 14:28; 15:4; 17:7; John 3:2ff; 4:7ff; 8:3ff' 8:17ff; 10:34ff.

Illustrations. He used many figures of speech. There are 62 of them in the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ alone - e.g. salt, light, bread, etc., A wide range of life was covered. Jesus entered into the full life and interests of men and was not a hermit. He used many illustrations from agricultural and home life. The physical world gave him many themes for spiritual realities. His word-pictures were simple and brief. His illustrations did not always tell the full story. He left something to the imagination of the hearers, because He wanted men to think. Jesus always used clear, simple words. He never used any abstract, difficult words. He used word-pictures only where they made the truth clearer.

Interrogation. There are 237 distinct questions recorded that Jesus asked. This is undoubtedly the best method of preaching. But one must be in touch with God and must know God’s Word thoroughly, to be able to have a ready answer always. Jesus knew the thought-processes of men so well that even when people never said anything, it is written that "Jesus answered and said".

Denunciations. Jesus denounced wickedness without any respect of persons. He never sought acceptance through name or position in society. He used sharp irony and sarcasm and thus made many enemies – who finally killed Him. But His denunciations were totally free from any personal venom or hatred.

Repetition. Jesus repeated His messages often in different places. He was more concerned to meet the needs of men than to earn a reputation for saying some new thing on each occasion. He also repeated messages and themes to the same audience – about the kingdom of God, God as a Father, love, watchfulness, self-denial, the cross, etc.

Jesus always packed much into a few words.

Jesus never sought to move people by the power of oratory. He wanted people to be moved by the content of His message.

Posture. Jesus preached standing as well as sitting. He prayed standing while in public, and kneeling in private devotions. He touched many whom He healed and also little children. These touches brought Him nearer to those people in spirit as well. He used His hands while speaking too (Matt 12:49). He looked up (Mark 6:41; 7:34; John 11:41; 17:1), and also at times looked at certain people directly (Mark 3:5, 34; 8:33' 10:21; Luke 6:20; 20:17; 22:61).

Humour and irony. Jesus was a master of irony. He used figures that the common man could appreciate. He could turn an occasion of embarrassment into one of profit (Matt 22:21). See also Matthew 7:1-5; 11:17; 23:24; Luke 11:37-41; 14:12-23.

Startling sayings. Jesus sometimes made startling statements to make the audience think. See Matt 5:29, 30; 6:24; 9:11ff; 11:11; 15:14; 16:28; 16:7, 21ff; 24:42,43; Mark 9:10; 10:26, 30; Luke 2:41ff, 12:51; John 2:19; 6:60.

At times, Jesus would walk away after saying something – Matt 13:53; 15:21; 16:4; 19:1,15. Compare Luke 12:51 with John 14:27; and John 9:39 with 12:47; and John 6:37 with 44.

HIS THEMES

Jesus used specific occasions to emphasise certain specific truths (Matt 12:46-50; Mark 12:41-44; Luke 22:24-30; John 4:35). He taught truth that could be understood fully only gradually - as one grew in Christlikeness.

He spoke mainly on these seven themes:

The kingdom of God (78 references)

God the Father.

Eternal Life

Self-denial

Sin and righteousness

Love

His death and resurrection

He referred to Himself as the Son of man 52 times.

He also spoke on minor themes – such as the evangelization of the world, fasting, alms-giving etc., Jesus never lost the true relation of truths one to another.

Jesus laid down principles to guide men in every relationship and duty in life. In His preaching, He embraced all classes and ages of people and all contingencies.

He spoke on subjects of supreme importance and not on the trivial topics that the rabbis discussed (cf. Matt 23:23). He never spoke on philosophy, reform or politics.

Jesus spoke logically and did not wander from His theme. He used exhortation, parables, interrogation, teaching etc., to make the presence and love of God real to men and to impress their responsibilities upon them.

His message reflected His own experience and He lived His message before preaching it (Acts 1:1).

The Old Testament. In the gospel records, there are 34 direct quotations from the Old Testament and 23 allusions to Old Testament events in the teaching of Jesus. He had learnt the Old Testament at home, in the village school and in the synagogue. Portions of Scripture had to be memorized by Hebrew boys. His mother must have taught Him too. Jesus accepted the Divine inspiration of the Old Testament without any question. The Old Testament was a formative force in the spiritual life of Jesus.

Jesus lived in a day when everyone blindly followed the opinions of dead scholars. The rabbi was superior to Scripture. Originality and freshness were unknown. In the midst of all this, Jesus was original (Matt 7:29). He interpreted the Old Testament spiritually, replacing the customary ceremonial interpretation, and raised its standards (Matthew 5).

Jesus’ preaching was always topical – and this is the way the apostles also preached, following His example.He quoted from the Old Testament, but never any long passages. In 29 out of the 34 quotations Jesus used some sign of quotation, such as, "It is written". He made sword-thrusts at times with pointed verses from the Old Testament. The 34 quotations He made were taken from 46 texts in the Old Testament (28 from the first 5 books of Moses, 7 from the Psalms and 11 from the Prophets). The words of Jesus were filled with the spirit and phraseology of the Old Testament. He used Old Testament examples to rebuke the traditions of the people (Matt 12:1-5).

Controversial Issues. The Jews were more concerned with their privileges as God's chosen people than with their corresponding responsibility to the nations. Jesus preached the necessity of a personal, vital relationship with God. The Jews gave undue importance to the historic opinions of dead rabbis. Jesus emphasised the spirit of the Word and rebuked their Bibliolatry. The Jewish Messianic hope included worldly honour and power. Jesus attacked this.

His enemies considered Jesus mediocre, because of His humble origin. But His popularity aroused their envy (John 7:12; 11:48) and His giving more attention to the cheating tax-collectors irritated them. So they accused Him of blasphemy and of being in league with Satan.

Six times they charged Jesus with desecrating the Sabbath. Jesus taught that the traditions of the elders were a hindrance to faith and to the true service of God.

We read of 22 instances where Jesus argued with His enemies defensively (as in John 8:7; Matt 22:21). On 4 occasions Jesus kept silent against the charges levelled at Him – and this enraged His enemies. He refused to show signs, but occasionally used miracles to defend His message (Matt 9:6; Luke 14:1-6).

HIS MIRACLES

The records in the gospels mention 26 miracles of healing and 8 miracles of nature that Jesus did up to the time of His death. (12 miracles of healing were done with physical contact). The miracles of Jesus were not meant to be spectacular demonstrations. Five times He refused to do a miracle when asked to (See Matt. 12:38,45; 16:1-4; Luke 23:8-12; John 2:13-22; 6:22-59).

The miracles of Jesus were not meant to create an audience. Only once (Luke 8:39) did Jesus ask the healed person to tell others; and on that occasion it was because Jesus Himself was going away from there immediately. Four times, He clearly forbade it (Matt 8:2-4; 9:27-31; Mark 7:32-37; 8:22-26). The temptation to draw crowds through miracles might have been too strong for one who was less confident in the power of his truth, less consecrated to his sacrificial mission and less acquainted with the vacillating nature of people.

Jesus' miracles were a response to human need. He never once failed to respond to real need. He always acted in the interest of others. He never profited by His own miracles except in Matt 14:13-23; 15:32-38; (multiplying the loaves and fishes); and 17:24-27 (finding a coin in a fish’s mouth) – and in all these cases it was for the benefit of others also. The miracles were manifestations of the Divine compassion.

The miracles also had an evidential value in that they attested the Person of Jesus (John 2:11, 23; Mark 2:10, 11; but compare John 12:37). The greatest number of miracles were performed during the middle period of His ministry - the time of maximum opposition.

Spiritual truth was always meant to be central (see the ascending order in Matt 11:5) (John 10:37, 38). Jesus taught that some diseases came through sin (John 5:14), but not all (John 9:3).

Jesus often used the occasion of His miracles to teach some truth.

HIS GENTLENESS

Gentleness is the mark of the great soul (Matt 12:20). Jesus could never look unmoved at the struggling masses of people. His interest in people was a master passion. His heart was full of compassion (Matt 9:36; 14:14; 18:27; Mark 1:41; 6:34; John 11:35). Being tempted like all other men increased His sympathy (Heb 2:18; 4:15).

Jesus always maintained a lovable disposition in spite of other pressures. He was never once in a bad mood. There is not one case of rejected requests for healing. He was gentle and friendly towards despised sinners (Luke 7:34; Matt 11:28). He cared for the lowly - the lepers, the insane, the blind and the demoniacs. He elevated woman to the side of man. He was truly chivalrous.

His gentleness however did not prevent him from being firm where the will of God was concerned (John 6:15; Matt 16:23; John 7:3-8;Luke 9:51). He knew how and when and whom to rebuke and to comfort. He had an appropriate word for each person and for each occasion (Matt 8:26 with John 14:1; and Luke 7:44-46 with 48, 50; John 12:3-8).

His gentleness was reflected in the tone of His voice. He never spoke in harsh, cruel or repulsive tones - though He knew how to rebuke sternly. Children were attracted to Him, and not frightened by His voice or appearance. Jesus dispelled the shadows and chased away gloom and despair wherever He went.

HIS SIMPLICITY

Jesus' personal appearance was simple. He followed the manners of His people in matters of dress. The middle-class family to which He belonged normally wore white clothes (as men do even today in the villages of India).

The style of Jesus preaching was free from adornment, from complex construction and from obscure thoughts. He did not seek to obtain a reputation for learning either through a mystical unintelligible message or through quoting the great writers of history. The only Book He ever quoted was the Old Testament.

His message was clear and simple and He was totally confident of what He taught. There was never any revision of teaching or correcting of earlier errors. Men of all classes could understand Him – if they were willing to do the will of God alone (John 7:17). He always spoke in the language of the common man. His illustrations were always from the life that the common people were familiar with.

His personal life-style, like His message, was simple. His personal needs were few. He took His rough fishermen-disciples with Him to social functions without the slightest embarrassment. He was humble enough to accept invitations for meals, even when He knew that He could not return their hospitality. He had no desire to be quoted by others or by future generations as a scholar. His only ambition was to do His Father's will. His motives were crystal clear, and therefore His face and particularly His eyes were clear (for a man's face and eyes reflect his inner soul).

HIS INNER LIFE

Jesus was a very observant man - a keen watcher of life around Him. This is evident from His parables and word-pictures.

He was well balanced intellectually and emotionally. He was intensely emotional, but He never allowed that to disturb His serenity of purpose. He was idealistic, but His idealism did not make Him forget the conditions in which men lived. His words to the Pharisees and to repentant sinners show His perfect poise. He never got irritated or upset with anyone, nor did He allow Himself to be carried away emotionally by the sight of human need.

He lived in the fear of God and without committing sin, and so His mind, emotions and will functioned perfectly. His inner life was totally free from the fear of the accidental. His mind made judgments not according to the information fed to it by His senses, but by actively seeking to hear His Father's voice (Isa. 11:3,4). And so any criticism He made was always right and always constructive.

Jesus used His imagination (Mt 9:36; Lk 10:19), but it always resulted in deeds of service. He thought in terms of concrete realities rather than abstract truths. He controlled His mind to think clearly, logically and positively. Yet as a Man, His mind had all the limitations that the normal human mind has (Mk 11:13, 13:32).

Jesus’ emotional life was involved in the interests of other people - never self-centred. As a Lover of men He shared the sorrows and joys of those around Him. He spoke the truth - but always in love. He entered into human suffering and is called “a man of sorrows” (Mk 7:34; 8:12). His preaching was full of emotional optimism. He was never discouraged. He rejoiced (Lk 10:21; Jn 15:11; 17:13); He was angry (Mk 3:5; 10:14; Mt 9:30; 16:23;21+12-17; Jn 2:13-22) and He was amazed twice – Matt. 8:10 (at someone’s faith) and Mark 6:6 (at the unbelief of some).

His will was set on seeking the glory of God alone. He controlled Himself in exciting situations. The enmity of His enemies and the advice of his friends never affected His decisions. Though possessing a strong will, He never once imposed His will on others. He never compelled anyone to do anything. He did not hold people to Himself by His soul-power.

Jesus was a man of prayer. There are 16 recorded instances of this in the gospels. These include prayers of thanksgiving (Mt 11:25; 26; Jn 11:41), intercession (Lk 22:32; 23:34; Jn 17), prayers for spiritual strengthening (Lk 3:21; 5:15-26; Mt 14:15-23; Jn 12:27; Lk 22:42) for wisdom (Mk 1:35ff; Lk 6:12,13), for revelation to be given to others (Lk 9:18-27; 28, 29; 11:1).

Jesus taught that prayer must be offered in humility (Lk 18:10-14), in sincerity (Mt 6:5-15), with obedience (Jn 15:7), with faith (Mk 11:24), and with fasting (Mt 17:21).

HIS POWER AND HIS AUTHORITY

Jesus spoke as a King and with impassioned seriousness. He never spoke in the hesitating tone of a seeker after truth. His delivery was confident and authoritative and He compelled notice even by His tone.

His personal bearing and demeanour were authoritative. He never demeaned Himself to seek the goodwill of those with social or religious power. He carried Himself with the air of one whose resources would not fail even under the most critical and severe demands. His serenity was unbroken. His manner awed others (Lk 4:30; Mk 1:22; Jn 18:6).

He was careless of personal dangers (Lk 13:32) and courageously attacked sin. He even pointed out faults in His friends and His disciples. He always spoke directly to the heart.

He was definite in His own mind about the message He preached, and He knew how to adapt it to each opportunity. He read the signs of the times, sought the right moment for His message and knew when and what to speak. He never misplaced His anger. He knew how to meet each case upon its own merits. He adapted His ministry to the real issues of life (Mt 6:33), He never wasted His time talking about politics, science or poetry.

His power also lay in the fact that He was perpetually accessible to all men for their varied needs. People felt that they thus shared His life and that their burdens could be placed on Him. His graciousness drew others to Himself and His physical touch brought Him near to the sick.

Yet, in spite of His authority and power, He respected the dignity of man as a free moral agent having a freedom given him by God to choose. Jesus never used His power or authority to violate this freedom.

And so, the authority of Jesus came from

The anointing of the Holy Spirit that He received at His baptism.

His relationship with His Father, in which there was a perpetual poverty of spirit, a pouring out of His soul-life unto death, and a life of absolute purity and total obedience.

His sympathy with the needs of men.

THE RESULTS

The earthly life of Jesus lay between a birth in a cattle-shed and a death as a criminal. Neither of these would suggest a successful career in the eyes of the world. He never sought to be appreciated or recognized by any man.

Jesus made no effort to draw crowds to hear Him. When the crowds came (Lk 4:37; Jn 12:19) spontaneously He was not deceived. There were those who followed Him wholeheartedly and those who hated Him. There were conversions, discipleship, worship, loving ministries and appreciation, as well as defections, abuse and misunderstanding.

But He re-incarnated His message and Himself in the lives of His followers and turned them into the way of the cross. This was His success.

ARE YOU WILLING TO CHANGE YOUR PREACHING STYLE NOW?

To read the source click the following : 

http://www.cfcindia.com/web/mainpages/articles.php?display=article29

It Is Time!

It’s (Past) Time for a Charismatic Reformation

By J. Lee Grady

In honor of Reformation Day, here are some complaints I’m nailing on the Wittenberg door.

Long before there was an Occupy Wall Street, Martin Luther staged the most important protest in history. He was upset because Roman Catholic officials were promising people forgiveness or early escape from purgatory in exchange for money. So on October 31, 1517, Luther nailed a long list of complaints on the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany.

Luther’s famous 95 theses were translated from Latin into German and spread abroad. Like a medieval Jeremiah, Luther dared to ask questions that had never been asked, and he challenged a pope who was supposedly infallible. Through this brave monk, the Holy Spirit sparked the Protestant Reformation and restored the doctrine of grace to a church that had become corrupt, religious, dysfunctional, political and spiritually dead.

I am no Luther, but I’ve grown increasingly aware that the so-called “Spirit-filled” church of today struggles with many of the same things the Catholic church faced in the 1500s. We don’t have “indulgences”—we have telethons. We don’t have popes—we have super-apostles. We don’t support an untouchable priesthood—we throw our money at celebrity evangelists who own fleets of private jets.

In honor of Reformation Day, I’m offering my own list of needed reforms in our movement. And since I can’t hammer these on the Wittenberg door, I’ll post them online. Feel free to nail them everywhere.

1. Let’s reform our theology. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He is God and He is holy. He is not an “it.” He is not a blob, a force, or an innate power. We must stop manipulating Him, commanding Him and throwing Him around.

2. Let’s return to the Bible. The Word of God is the foundation for the Christian experience. Any dramatic experience, no matter how spiritual it seems, must be tested by the Word and the Holy Spirit’s discernment. Visions, dreams, prophecies and encounters with angels must be in line with Scripture. If we don’t test them we could end up spreading deception.

3. It’s time for personal responsibility. We charismatics must stop blaming everything on demons. People are usually the problem.

4. Stop playing games. Spiritual warfare is a reality, but we are not going to win the world to Jesus just by shouting at demonic principalities. We must pray, preach and persevere to see ultimate victory.

5. Stop the foolishness. People who hit, slap or push others during prayer should be asked to sit down until they learn gentleness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

6. End all spiritual extortion now. Christian television ministries must cease and desist from all manipulative fundraising tactics. We must stop giving platforms to ministers who make outlandish claims of supernatural financial returns, especially when Scripture is twisted, deadlines are imposed and the poor are exploited.

7. No more Lone Rangers. Those who claim to be ministers of God—whether they are traveling evangelists, local pastors or heads of ministries—must be accountable to other leaders. Any who refuse to submit their lives to godly discipline should be corrected.

8. Expose the creeps. Churches should start doing background checks on traveling ministers. Preachers who have been hiding criminal records, lying about their past marriages, preying on women or refusing to pay child support should be exposed as charlatans and shunned if they do not repent.

9. Stop faking the anointing. God is God, and He does not need our “help” to manifest Himself. That means we don’t sprinkle glitter on ourselves to suggest God’s glory is with us, hide fake jewels on the floor to prove we are anointed or pull chicken feathers out of our sleeves to pretend angels are in the room. This is lying to the Holy Spirit.

10. Let’s return to purity. We’ve had enough scandals. The charismatic church must develop a system for the restoration of fallen ministers. Those who fall morally can be restored, but they must be willing to submit to a process of healing rather than rushing immediately back into the pulpit.

11. We need humility. Ministers who demand celebrity treatment, require lavish salaries, insist on titles or exhibit aloofness from others are guilty of spiritual pride.

12. No more big shots. Apostles are the bondslaves of Christ, and should be the most impeccable models of humility. True apostles do not wield top-down, hierarchical authority over the church. They serve the church from the bottom up as true servants.

13. Never promote gifts at the expense of character. Those who operate in prophecy, healing and miracles must also exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. And while we continue to encourage the gift of tongues, let’s make sure we don’t treat it like some kind of badge of superiority. The world needs to see our love, not our glossolalia.

14. Hold the prophets accountable. Those who refuse to take responsibility for inaccurate statements should not be given platforms. And “prophets” who live immoral lives don’t deserve a public voice.

15. Let’s make the main thing the main thing. The purpose of the Holy Spirit’s anointing is to empower us to reach others. We are at a crossroads today: Either we continue off-course, entertained by our charismatic sideshows, or we throw ourselves into evangelism, church planting, missions, discipleship, and compassionate ministry that helps the poor and fights injustice. Churches that embrace this New Reformation will focus on God’s priorities.

(¯`'·.¸(♥)¸.·'´¯)

J. Lee Grady is contributing editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He expounds on these topics in his 2010 book The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale (Chosen).

Original Source : http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/32228-its-past-time-for-a-charismatic-reformation

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.