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November 10, 2018 - February 6, 2019
You cannot receive understanding unless you consider what is being said, which means to look at thoughtfully.
we cannot be closed minded and expect the Holy Spirit to teach us new things.
commission is simply a matter or task entrusted to a person who acts as an agent of another.
To commission means to authorize, appoint, charge, empower, dispatch and entrust with a mission.
Sent ones do more than evangelize. Sent ones preach, teach, prophesy and do the works of Jesus.
comes from the Greek word apostolos, meaning a delegate, an ambassador
Before this word found its way into our Bible, it was a secular term used by the Greeks and Romans to describe special envoys who were sent out for the purpose of expanding the dominion of the empire. Many of these envoys were military generals with authority to go into new territories and fight, if necessary, to establish the Greek or Roman culture in that region. They were also responsible for teaching and training the new subjects in the laws and culture of the kingdom.
apostles will have a greater measure of the apostolic dimension upon their lives to impart and stir up this anointing in the saints.
It is the responsibility of the apostles to release and stir up the apostolic dimension in every believer through teaching, preaching, prophesying and the laying on of hands.
A characteristic of the apostolic spirit is an awareness of being sent.
Each generation is responsible to pray and believe God to fill the offices left by the previous generation. It is not the will of God for these offices to remain vacant.
when the form is not according to the Word of God, the apostle will discern it and preach and teach the Word to bring the Church back into God’s proper form.
Preaching the Gospel and making disciples throughout the world is not just a job for missionaries; it is an assignment given to all believers.
Apostles and prophets will need to work together (along with those who have other ministry gifts) to fulfill the Great Commission. These two offices have a unique ability to penetrate. They carry an authority and power in the Spirit to break through.
Apostolic ministry operates at a rank that is high enough to speak on behalf of heaven. Even the principalities and powers must acknowledge this rank because it is spiritual. They hate it and fight it, but they cannot avoid it or overcome it.
Apostles have been set first in the Church by God (see 1 Corinthians 12:28). The word translated “first” is the Greek word proton, meaning first in time, place, order or importance; chiefly or first of all.
Every field of study has apostles or pioneers. Pioneers have made breakthroughs and exceeded the existing limits in their fields, including medicine, economics, aviation, law and civil rights.
For believers, even though we are all equal in Christ as to salvation, we have different ranks in the Spirit that carry different degrees of authority and power.
Just as there is rank in the military, there is rank in the army of God. We must be able to receive, walk in and discern different ranks in the spirit.
Each and every believer has been gifted by God to fulfill his or her calling and purpose. For some, their gifts will place them in a visible ministry; others are gifted for “behind the scenes” ministries. No gift makes any person more important than anyone else. We are all equal in Christ—equally loved by God and equally necessary to the Body of Christ.
in Psalm 133:2—the anointing flowed from Aaron’s head, to his beard, to the skirts of his garments.
See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head, that ran down on the beard, even Aaron’s beard, that came down on the edge of his robes,
like the dew of Hermon, that comes down on the hills of Zion; for there Yahweh gives the blessing, even life forever more. (Psalm 133:1-3)
The apostolic prepares and opens the way for the prophetic; the prophetic in turn prepares and opens the way for the teaching. One precedes and paves the way for the next. Each gift and ministry is designed by God in this way to open the way for the other to follow. Each territory needs all three operating in order to establish God’s purposes in that region.
“Unshrunk [new] cloth on an old garment” (Matthew 9:16) “New wine into old wineskins” (Mark 2:22)
Jesus said no one patches an old garment w/ a new piece of cloth or puts new wine in an old skin, b/c the old isn't flexible enough to be compatible w/ the new.
Pioneers are often misunderstood, mistreated and misquoted. The benefits of their efforts are often seen only after they have passed from the scene.
do not focus on the number of churches in an area but on the number of churches that are having an impact.
The apostle has authority only in the place where he ministers or is allowed to minister.
Strongholds are the mindsets of people in a particular territory, fortified places that keep out truth and hold in lies.
a forceful, stubborn argument, rationale, opinion, idea and/or philosophy that is resistant to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. A mindset depicts a mind that is already settled on a set of beliefs and therefore resistant to change.
People are proud of the way they think, even though it may be wrong. No one wants to admit to being wrong, particularly when a person’s ancestors have held to a certain way of thinking for perhaps thousands of years. Humility must precede repentance, and pride will put up a fight.
People would rather maintain their present ways of thinking than change, and they will defend them through argument and debate.
The first thing Jesus gave the Twelve when He sent them forth was power over devils (see Matthew 10:1).
Intellectualism, rationalization, pride, debate and mind idolatry are ruling spirits in much of our education system.
People have no argument against the raw power of God. They have a difficult time explaining these things away. They are forced to rethink their positions and come face-to-face with the truth. Apostles come not with enticing words of man’s wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power.
Apostles are standard bearers—commanders who lift the standard and rally the army of God (see Isaiah 59:19).
This verse and its surrounding context have nothing to do with raising a standard.
Some of the prophets and teachers themselves will be released into apostolic ministries.
A religious system in need of reform serves the interests of the leaders of that system, and they are usually a reformation’s greatest opponents.
Whenever there is reform, there must also be a retraining of ministers to maintain the new form of the Church brought about by the reform. Apostles train people with other ministry gifts (such as pastors and teachers) to sustain and carry on what reformation has begun.
The Church has always needed apostles, because it has a tendency to be influenced by the traditions of men and stray from the course ordained by God. Reformation is unpleasant and controversial but absolutely necessary.
The apostolic anointing is at times confrontational. Apostles will not, however, confront out of hurt or bitterness, but out of a desire to protect and defend the truth.
Truth cannot be compromised for the sake of peace. Truth will bring division, bringing a man’s foes out of his own household. Jesus said, “I did not come to bring peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). Truth is the sharp, two-edged sword of God’s Word that will cause division, for it separates and divides (see Hebrews 4:12).
Apostles confront false doctrines and teachings of men; they also confront tradition when it has made the Word of God of no effect. Truth must be preached, defended and confirmed. The Lord will confirm the Word (truth) with signs following (see Mark 16:20). Signs and wonders follow the preaching and teaching of apostles because God confirms the truth that apostles present. Although men may oppose their words, God backs them up.
truth must not only be preached but be defended, for if men do not defend the truth, lies will prevail. If lies prevail, people walk in bondage and deception.
The Lord is raising up apostles whose words will shake the Church. Their words will be as bulldozers in the Spirit, plowing through the lies the enemy has sown in the Church. As a result, the truth will prevail, and multitudes will be set free.
Ministers are given to apostles (Acts 20:4–5).
According to Luke 10:1, when Jesus sent out the 70 apostles, He sent them out in pairs. They didn't have an entourage. Likewise, in Acts 13:1-3, Saul and Barnabus set out on their first missionary journey as just the two of them alone. So did Paul and Silas, as well as Barnabus and John Mark, later on (Acts 15:39-40). They started out with just two, and then more eventually came along, as their ministry and responsibilities grew.
Fully functioning churches (1 Corinthians 9:2).
This verse does not necessarily point to the establishment of a church, but Paul is talking to those whom he discipled, who are the seal of his apostleship.
Serious resistance from evil prince angels (2 Corinthians 12:7).
This scripture refers to a messenger of Satan sent to torment Paul to keep him from becoming arrogant due to his extraordinary revelations, NOT because he was an apostle. However, the book of Acts definitely shows that opposition from unbelievers frequently popped up wherever the apostles saw a tremendous response to their ministry and message.
Revelation of the apostolate is necessary in order to walk fully in its authority and power, as Paul recognized when he referred to his ministry as an office in Romans 11:13 (KJV). I am convinced that many apostles have never operated fully in their calling because they do not fully understand the office.
Malachi 4:4–6;
This passage in Malachi refers to John the Baptist, whom Jesus said was a prophet and the Elijah who was to come (Matthew 11:7-15 & 17:10-13).
Ephesians 2:20).
Neither this verse nor its context indicates any involvement by an apostle.
Philippians 1:17).
Paul said he was "appointed for the defense of the Good News/gospel," not the church.
