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The Restoration Of The Apostles & Prophets And How It Will Revolutionize Ministry In The 21st Century
A DEFENSE OF THE 5-FOLD MINISTRY; APOSTLES, PROPHETS, EVANGELISTS, PREACHERS AND TEACHERS BASED ON EPHESIANS 4:11-13
244 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2000
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July 8, 2024
A MODERN ‘PROPHET’ PROVIDES GUIDANCE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Author Hector Torres wrote in the Preface to this 2001 book, “With the restoration of the ministerial gifts of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher of Ephesians 4, the body of Christ is beginning to reach maturity. Only when the office of apostle is restored will we be able to reach the fulness of Christ… within his people… We are seeing the Father raise a new generation of apostles and apostolic people who are taking their place in the world… this requires a fresh anointing and people desirous of embracing the new, while holding fast to the fundamentals of yesterday.”
He adds in the Introduction, “I understand that some parts of this book will be controversial, but I should take the risk that God demands if I desire to share in seeing a change in the Church… By the grace of God, I have been put in a strategic place for the Church in recent times. God has given us the privilege of working with great servants of God in Latin America. Consequently, li have been able to observe from close up the movement of the Holy Spirit and sit down at the table of those who are in the vanguard of the New Apostolic Reformation.” (Pg. xviii-xix)
He asserts, “In the last days, we will live in … a period of refreshing revival … and a precursor to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ… For this to occur, there is one … necessary occurrence: the restoration of all things… Restoration is… the process of correcting a condition through a process of change. Scripture shows us that when God restores, things not only return to their original condition, but the restored work surpasses the original.” (Pg. 1-2)
He states, “The prophets give the instructions that proceed from God and the apostles administer their execution… God uses the apostles and prophets to receive… the revelation of what is hidden. He gives this revelation to them that they may proclaim it to his people and institute the changes that this new revelation requires.” (Pg. 6)
He notes, “According to Dr. C. Peter Wagner, post-denominational affiliations are … coming together for what has been called the New Apostolic Reformation. This movement is generating the most radical changes in church government since the sixteenth century. There is no doubt that God is bringing about these changes to the Church to restructure its government and to reveal new strategies. His objective… is restoring all the truths that had been lost. Those who refuse to accept this movement of the Spirit, with His new and marvelous strategies, in the end … will disappear.” (Pg. 15)
He reports, “In the seventies, the Church experienced the restoration of the doctrine of the blessing, inheritance, and prosperity of the saints through faith… The Holy Spirit has revealed to his people how to take hold of the necessary resources to proclaim the Gospel to all nations. However, some extremists lost the balance of the message and carried the restoration of a great truth to personal profit, leaving behind the proclamation of the gospel. Today, in spite of the fact that most of these concepts have come to a balance, some extremes continue within certain sectors of the Church. In the 1980s and 1990s, the restoration of the personal prophetic word to the Church, to cities, and to nations has brought a renewed understanding of the ministry of prophecy and of its role in spiritual warfare for the end times. This restoration brought about… the greatest prayer movement in the history of the Church… The themes of spiritual warfare… and the war against territorial spirits have caused controversy in the Church today. In the same way, the lack of knowledge about personal prophecy and how to receive and examine it, have harmed some people.” (Pg. 23-25)
He states, “Prophetic ministries have not ceased to exist; rather the Church has ceased to believe in them. Consequently, they have stopped working in their midst. In these times, God is reestablishing them as they are necessary to bring the Body of Christ to unity, knowledge, maturity, and collaboration necessary for growth.” (Pg. 36-37)
He outlines, “There are six purposes for which God sends a prophet to prepare a church, a ministry, or a nation. 1. The Church is grounded on the basis established by apostles and prophets. They have the gift of revealing God’s plans for the Church, ministry, or nation…. 2. The ministerial gifts require the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry… 3. Prophets are gifted by God to see what goes on in the spiritual realm… they can recognize the powers and authorities that … are battling against the Church… 4. Prophets recognize and set apart leaders for the work of the ministry… 5. God uses prophets to reveal his plans… 6. Through prophetic ministry the saints are edified and strengthened … The prophetic ministry summons us to battle and exhorts us to break through and destroy the powers of hell.” (Pg. 38-43)
He states, “The tests of a genuine prophet are his conduct and the way in which he models the ministry in his life… the prophetic ministry always submits to the authorities that God has established in their lives: to the pastors of the congregations in which they minister and above all, to an apostolic leader under whose yoke of authority he should be.” (Pg. 45)
He recounts, “On July 31, 1983…God spoke to my wife and me about our calling to serve as prophet to the nations. At that time… I was passing through an emotional desert and was looking for a place where they could give me the opportunity to demonstrate the talents God had given me… My character and personality frequently caused problems with others. In the church I was known as ‘brother sword’ because …I used the Bible to judge those who were not following its doctrinal teachings or to correct doctrinal errors. Now I recognize the seal of ‘prophet’ in this… It became very difficult for me to submit to a leader who in my opinion did not have … the anointing of the Holy Spirit that I had. In this search for direction for my life and my ministry, the Lord … reveled to us His plans… All that was happening … had the purpose of … preparing us for the day in which we would be SEPARATED for the work of the ministry.” (Pg. 59-63)
He points out, “There are many churches that … had the fire of God but now are dying. This can be the result of tradition or because the form or content of worship is not impacting the present generation. You cannot sing songs from 1850 to a generation form the twenty-first century. Many denominations … have lost their impact on the new generation. The Lord raises apostles to sow new works and reach new generations.” (Pg. 133)
He suggests, “Apostolic ministry is a ministry of warfare. It entails commanding, mobilizing, rallying, and gathering the army of God to challenge and pull down the strongholds of the enemy… This ministry is absolutely necessary to keep the Church advancing toward the completion of the Great Commission.” (Pg. 144)
He recalls, “Many prophets (and other Christian leaders…) are carrying unhealed or partially healed wounds from that is known as the Shepherding Movement … of the 1970s… During the heyday of the Shepherding Movement, I had my hands full trying to work my way out of a cessationist mindset in order to embrace the present day ministry of the Holy Spirit… However, I now can clearly understand why many who are survivors of the Shepherding Movement would have a serious problem with the use of the word ‘submission.’” (Pg. 163-164)
He acknowledges, “when one looks at the body of Christ today, true apostolic/prophetic teamwork is almost nonexistent. Whether it was prophetic words that never came to pass, harsh delivery styles, or revelations that were so esoteric that they were of no practical value, many apostles and other … leaders have had bad experience with prophets. These experiences are also compounded by the fact that many prophets, on a functional level, reject all human authority on spiritual matters… As a prophet myself, I know well the temptation toward a radical form of mysticism that can make a person’s spiritual senses the final authority in his life.” (Pg. 183-184)
He concludes, “Yes, there are major problems within the Church that must be addressed. We need to find ways to redistribute the wealth from western nations to the world in need… we must see the emergence of true prophetic and apostolic ministry… Through the apostle, the purposes of the Church can be established… Leaders will set appropriate goals for a city… For the necessary changes to occur, leaders … must be willing to face the truth. All of us have been affected to one extent or another by the craziness of the Church of the 20th century. We should not deny it, but embrace the truth and bring it into the light.” (Pg. 213-216)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying the New Apostolic Reformation.
Author Hector Torres wrote in the Preface to this 2001 book, “With the restoration of the ministerial gifts of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher of Ephesians 4, the body of Christ is beginning to reach maturity. Only when the office of apostle is restored will we be able to reach the fulness of Christ… within his people… We are seeing the Father raise a new generation of apostles and apostolic people who are taking their place in the world… this requires a fresh anointing and people desirous of embracing the new, while holding fast to the fundamentals of yesterday.”
He adds in the Introduction, “I understand that some parts of this book will be controversial, but I should take the risk that God demands if I desire to share in seeing a change in the Church… By the grace of God, I have been put in a strategic place for the Church in recent times. God has given us the privilege of working with great servants of God in Latin America. Consequently, li have been able to observe from close up the movement of the Holy Spirit and sit down at the table of those who are in the vanguard of the New Apostolic Reformation.” (Pg. xviii-xix)
He asserts, “In the last days, we will live in … a period of refreshing revival … and a precursor to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ… For this to occur, there is one … necessary occurrence: the restoration of all things… Restoration is… the process of correcting a condition through a process of change. Scripture shows us that when God restores, things not only return to their original condition, but the restored work surpasses the original.” (Pg. 1-2)
He states, “The prophets give the instructions that proceed from God and the apostles administer their execution… God uses the apostles and prophets to receive… the revelation of what is hidden. He gives this revelation to them that they may proclaim it to his people and institute the changes that this new revelation requires.” (Pg. 6)
He notes, “According to Dr. C. Peter Wagner, post-denominational affiliations are … coming together for what has been called the New Apostolic Reformation. This movement is generating the most radical changes in church government since the sixteenth century. There is no doubt that God is bringing about these changes to the Church to restructure its government and to reveal new strategies. His objective… is restoring all the truths that had been lost. Those who refuse to accept this movement of the Spirit, with His new and marvelous strategies, in the end … will disappear.” (Pg. 15)
He reports, “In the seventies, the Church experienced the restoration of the doctrine of the blessing, inheritance, and prosperity of the saints through faith… The Holy Spirit has revealed to his people how to take hold of the necessary resources to proclaim the Gospel to all nations. However, some extremists lost the balance of the message and carried the restoration of a great truth to personal profit, leaving behind the proclamation of the gospel. Today, in spite of the fact that most of these concepts have come to a balance, some extremes continue within certain sectors of the Church. In the 1980s and 1990s, the restoration of the personal prophetic word to the Church, to cities, and to nations has brought a renewed understanding of the ministry of prophecy and of its role in spiritual warfare for the end times. This restoration brought about… the greatest prayer movement in the history of the Church… The themes of spiritual warfare… and the war against territorial spirits have caused controversy in the Church today. In the same way, the lack of knowledge about personal prophecy and how to receive and examine it, have harmed some people.” (Pg. 23-25)
He states, “Prophetic ministries have not ceased to exist; rather the Church has ceased to believe in them. Consequently, they have stopped working in their midst. In these times, God is reestablishing them as they are necessary to bring the Body of Christ to unity, knowledge, maturity, and collaboration necessary for growth.” (Pg. 36-37)
He outlines, “There are six purposes for which God sends a prophet to prepare a church, a ministry, or a nation. 1. The Church is grounded on the basis established by apostles and prophets. They have the gift of revealing God’s plans for the Church, ministry, or nation…. 2. The ministerial gifts require the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry… 3. Prophets are gifted by God to see what goes on in the spiritual realm… they can recognize the powers and authorities that … are battling against the Church… 4. Prophets recognize and set apart leaders for the work of the ministry… 5. God uses prophets to reveal his plans… 6. Through prophetic ministry the saints are edified and strengthened … The prophetic ministry summons us to battle and exhorts us to break through and destroy the powers of hell.” (Pg. 38-43)
He states, “The tests of a genuine prophet are his conduct and the way in which he models the ministry in his life… the prophetic ministry always submits to the authorities that God has established in their lives: to the pastors of the congregations in which they minister and above all, to an apostolic leader under whose yoke of authority he should be.” (Pg. 45)
He recounts, “On July 31, 1983…God spoke to my wife and me about our calling to serve as prophet to the nations. At that time… I was passing through an emotional desert and was looking for a place where they could give me the opportunity to demonstrate the talents God had given me… My character and personality frequently caused problems with others. In the church I was known as ‘brother sword’ because …I used the Bible to judge those who were not following its doctrinal teachings or to correct doctrinal errors. Now I recognize the seal of ‘prophet’ in this… It became very difficult for me to submit to a leader who in my opinion did not have … the anointing of the Holy Spirit that I had. In this search for direction for my life and my ministry, the Lord … reveled to us His plans… All that was happening … had the purpose of … preparing us for the day in which we would be SEPARATED for the work of the ministry.” (Pg. 59-63)
He points out, “There are many churches that … had the fire of God but now are dying. This can be the result of tradition or because the form or content of worship is not impacting the present generation. You cannot sing songs from 1850 to a generation form the twenty-first century. Many denominations … have lost their impact on the new generation. The Lord raises apostles to sow new works and reach new generations.” (Pg. 133)
He suggests, “Apostolic ministry is a ministry of warfare. It entails commanding, mobilizing, rallying, and gathering the army of God to challenge and pull down the strongholds of the enemy… This ministry is absolutely necessary to keep the Church advancing toward the completion of the Great Commission.” (Pg. 144)
He recalls, “Many prophets (and other Christian leaders…) are carrying unhealed or partially healed wounds from that is known as the Shepherding Movement … of the 1970s… During the heyday of the Shepherding Movement, I had my hands full trying to work my way out of a cessationist mindset in order to embrace the present day ministry of the Holy Spirit… However, I now can clearly understand why many who are survivors of the Shepherding Movement would have a serious problem with the use of the word ‘submission.’” (Pg. 163-164)
He acknowledges, “when one looks at the body of Christ today, true apostolic/prophetic teamwork is almost nonexistent. Whether it was prophetic words that never came to pass, harsh delivery styles, or revelations that were so esoteric that they were of no practical value, many apostles and other … leaders have had bad experience with prophets. These experiences are also compounded by the fact that many prophets, on a functional level, reject all human authority on spiritual matters… As a prophet myself, I know well the temptation toward a radical form of mysticism that can make a person’s spiritual senses the final authority in his life.” (Pg. 183-184)
He concludes, “Yes, there are major problems within the Church that must be addressed. We need to find ways to redistribute the wealth from western nations to the world in need… we must see the emergence of true prophetic and apostolic ministry… Through the apostle, the purposes of the Church can be established… Leaders will set appropriate goals for a city… For the necessary changes to occur, leaders … must be willing to face the truth. All of us have been affected to one extent or another by the craziness of the Church of the 20th century. We should not deny it, but embrace the truth and bring it into the light.” (Pg. 213-216)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying the New Apostolic Reformation.
July 14, 2021
Great insight on the roles of prophets and apostles
January 27, 2023
Amazing! Apostle Torres exposes the Apostolic and Prophetic Ministries for today in an amazing way.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews