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October 6 - October 20, 2018
As God releases divine strategies to the Church, these diplomats are receiving their commission from heaven and are going forth with full authority and power as ambassadors of Christ.
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.
What we need to fulfill the Great Commission are ambassadors and diplomats raised up and sent by the Lord, not people sent by men.
Many local churches suffer because they have not recognized God’s order. God’s anointing flows through order, so a church out of order will not recognize the fullness of His anointing. The Church age began with apostles. Many denominations started with apostles. When something begins in the right order, it has a much better chance of success.
Pioneers have made breakthroughs and exceeded the existing limits in their fields, including medicine, economics, aviation, law and civil rights. In the realm of the Spirit, apostles are usually the first to go into a geographic region to preach and to establish churches. They are often the first to preach certain revelations that God is releasing to the Church.
True apostles must manifest the character of Christ and never use their authority in the wrong way; to do so will bring the judgment of God.
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. All authority and power is based on rank. Just
We have been guilty of overlooking God’s established order because we have either not been taught it, did not see it clearly or simply rejected it. Tradition has also made this word of no effect (as we see in Mark 7:13). Because of tradition, many would rather call someone a “reverend,” a “doctor,” a “superintendent” or a “bishop,” but seldom an apostle. Those who dared to identify themselves in this way have been considered extreme. Many have ignored, avoided and attacked the office of the apostle. But God is restoring this ministry to the Church and giving us a revelation of its purpose and
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And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 1 Corinthians 12:28
Each of the gifts operates best in divine order. When the Church neglects this order, it will not be able to progress toward the goal of fulfilling its commission, for things out of order result in disorder and confusion.
The head represents authority. Order is always based on authority. Again, the authority of the Church should be first apostolic, second prophetic, third teaching.
the Church will begin to have a certain flavor. This anointing will affect everything we do, setting the tone for our prayer, worship, preaching, teaching and overall ministry. This was true in the book of Acts, and it is true today.
are to serve God in newness of spirit (Romans 7:6) and to “sing to Him a new song” (Psalm 33:3). To do that we must constantly receive fresh oil. This keeps the Church refreshed, renewed and restored. When the Church does not have this dynamic, it becomes dry, dull and stagnant, and it ultimately loses its appeal. Newness causes the Church to be attractive.
“Unshrunk [new] cloth on an old garment” (Matthew 9:16) “New wine into old wineskins” (Mark 2:22) “New things I declare” (Isaiah 42:9)
The apostolic anointing keeps us on the cutting edge. It pushes us forward toward the goal of fulfilling our commission. It releases us from the past and thrusts us into the future. It enables us to meet the challenges of a changing world, keeping us advancing and improving. It guards us from being outmoded and outdated. It makes us relevant to our world—without compromise.
The apostolic spirit gives the ability to lay foundations for our generation. Without this dimension, a whole generation can be lost.
When a church does not have the apostolic anointing at its core, stagnation is the result. It no longer moves or flows; it shows no sign of activity or advancement; it does not develop or progress.
Pioneers have a breakthrough anointing. A breakthrough is an offensive thrust that penetrates and carries beyond a defensive line in warfare. It is an instance of breaking through an obstruction. Pioneers have the ability to break through ignorance, fear and other obstacles that keep people from advancing. Apostolic ministry has the ability to penetrate the defenses set up by the powers of darkness. This is why God has set it to be first. Someone must have the courage, ability and power to first break through the obstacles set up by the enemy before any significant progress can be made.
Breakthroughs must come in finances, television, radio, publishing, building projects and other areas. We must be able to break through tradition, religion, ignorance, poverty, witchcraft, pride and rebellion. The apostle has the anointing to break through them so that people are set free to walk in the truth.
This is why it is so difficult to break through in some cities, nations or people groups. These areas and people need sent ones. When apostles are sent into a region, they have the ability (through the anointing) to penetrate the darkness and bring light and revelation to the people.
This ministry precedes and opens the way for others.
When the Church becomes settled in a place, as often happens, the Lord continues to send apostles to expand the Church’s borders. They expand our spiritual horizons and release us from spiritual boundaries and limitations of tradition and past experience.
Apostolic people have the ability to persevere in the face of opposition. They have the strength and mentality of a pioneer. The apostolic anointing will set the tone for your life and ministry. You will become a pioneering believer. You will invade and possess new territory. New places in the spirit realm need to be opened, where many saints have never been. It takes the anointing to open those places for others to follow and enter in. Those operating in the apostolic anointing are the people and churches who will open new regions and new frontiers so that others may experience the fullness
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“And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region” (Acts 13:49). Some believe their cities already have enough churches, that they need to revive the existing ones rather than build new ones. But many of the existing churches will not receive new things, often fighting against a fresh move of the Holy Spirit. As a result, many of the present churches are ineffective.
Before a region opens to the Gospel, however, the strongman of Matthew 12:29 must first be bound: “Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” (See also Mark 3:27; Luke 11:21–22.) The strongman may be a demonic principality that rules over a certain geographic area, leading a horde of demonic principalities that influence the affairs of people.
The plundered “goods” are the souls that are being influenced and controlled by this ruling spirit to keep them from the truth. Apostles can go into new regions and break through the resistance by binding the strongman.
He did not desire to boast in another man’s work but to preach Christ where He had not been preached (see 2 Corinthians 10:16). Even where there are already churches in existence, an apostle can come in and establish new revelation. Often the strongmen in these areas are spirits of religion and tradition.
some are called to cities, some to regions and some to nations. Those called to cities will be commissioned to establish the truth in that city.
Wherever God sends His apostles, they will help change the spiritual climate of their assigned areas, whether those areas are cities, regions or nations. The result will be that the people in those areas are more receptive to hearing the Word of God—and the Church will be that much closer to fulfilling its mission.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4–5
The commission given to the Church requires us to invade new territories—hostile territories. The powers of darkness that have ruled regions for centuries will not give up without a fight. They must be confronted, subdued and driven out. This requires warfare.
Apostles and apostolic people will be a people of warfare, whether they use the term or not.
Paul was saying that the weapons of his apostolic ministry were mighty for the pulling down of strongholds.
“Stronghold” is the Greek word ochuroma, meaning a fortified place such as a fortress or a castle. It is established by demonic influence through a wisdom that is earthly, sensual and devilish (see James 3:15). Satan and his demons have fortified themselves from invasion. They have built strongholds in every region of the world to resist the advancement of the Kingdom. These strongholds must be dealt with if we are to see the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Apostles have the ability to confront them and pull them down.
Strongholds are the mindsets of people in a particular territory, fortified places that keep out truth and hold in lies. Dr. Clarence Walker defines a stronghold as 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. It is fixed and rigid.
Unbelievers have mindsets that prevent them from receiving the truth of the Gospel. Because these ways of thinking have developed over centuries through a combination of experience and what one’s ancestors have taught, they are not easy to change. It takes a strong anointing to break through the defensive barriers in the mind and overcome the pride associated with a way of thinking. 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
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Spiritual warfare involves demolishing these mindsets so that people can receive and walk in the truth. The Twentieth Century New Testament translation puts it this way: “We are engaged in confuting arguments and pulling down every barrier raised against the knowledge of God.”
This is the warfare that Paul is referring to in 2 Corinthians 10:3–5—refuting arguments and taking captive philosophies that are contrary to the truth.
They had strong opinions and took pleasure in arguing and debating. They were seekers of knowledge to the point of being guilty of idolatry. In other words, they worshiped knowledge.
Philosophy was a major stronghold. Spirits of intellectualism and rationalization prevented many from believing that Christ had risen from the dead.
The Jews sought after a sign, while the Greeks sought after wisdom (see 1 Corinthians 1:22). The Greeks, however, were not seeking after the wisdom of God. They were seeking after philosophy.
We need it to confront the arguments that our modern world raises against the truth. Although the arguments may have changed, the demonic influence behind them has not; we are dealing with ancient principalities that must be bound and cast out through apostolic ministry. Stubborn arguments refuse to budge. They can only be destroyed through an anointing that confounds the wisdom of this world and releases the wisdom of God.
Miracles, healings, signs and wonders help to blast away these strongholds. People have no argument against the raw power of God.
Apostles come not with enticing words of man’s wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power.
According to Dr. Paula A. Price in God’s Apostle Revived, the apostle’s mantle includes warfare strategy and rulership.
the apostle surfaces as an “arch warrior, a chief strategist, a competent captain, and an able guard over his jurisdiction.” His supernatural rank in the stratos (army) makes him a formidable combatant in the spirit realm and an arch rival to the forces in the heavenlies.
The Church needs apostolic leadership to help set the Church in order. They help organize and mobilize the believers into an army.
Apostles are standard bearers—commanders who lift the standard and rally the army of God (see Isaiah 59:19). An apostolic church is awesome and terrible, like an army with banners (see Song of Solomon 6:4, 10). Apostolic churches strike fear into the kingdom of darkness.
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. The apostolic invades new territories and breaks through. It has the ability to go first. It is the first to encounter the spiritual resistance of the powers of darkness and the first to penetrate the barriers they erect. This ministry is absolutely necessary to keep the Church advancing toward the completion of the Great Commission.
God has a plan and purpose He will fulfill. It has already been spoken by the prophets. Nothing will stand in the way of His fulfilling His good pleasure; His counsel shall stand. We have the glorious opportunity of being a part of this plan.
