Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!
Here is an article I wanted to share with you from an unknown author.
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Maybe consider this… that Apostles don’t “rule” over cities; they are sent to them.
They don’t “rule over” nations; they simply go there.
They are not a governmental rule over a physical location.
I am asking you to re-consider the biblical pattern.
Apostleship is a gifting. It’s a function. It is not a power-position. It is a ministry of servanthood to Christ to carry on the ministry of reconciliation in the dynamic of planting and establishing outposts of the kingdom in unreached areas. Apostles establish EKKLESIA (an executive branch of an existing government - in this case, the Kingdom of God - in a territory).
This is one of the many reasons why Pastors and others have been so resistant to the idea of apostleship - the idea that Apostles and prophets are “higher” rather than “different” has been problematic in the very consideration of employing these giftings. It is also one of the reasons that we are often pressured to re-define or dilute biblical apostleship.
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Paul explains apostleship in 1 Corinthians 2. It’s not glamorous. It’s closer to a death sentence by giving your life to kingdom work.
In our modern corporate minds everything is bent on hierarchy and positional leaders.
We have a pyramid mentality of “church” where the most important are at the top, the definitely important are in the middle and the least important are at the bottom. Five fold ministry giftings are then perceived as upper positions rather than servanthood ministries and so the pursuit to clamor after them has made many stark raving mad and the existing upper leadership (pastors) incredibly gun-shy.
When we lose that pyramid mindset we will shut down the power-struggles and the need for the apostle and prophet to have such demonstration and super-powerful ministries in order to prove themselves worthy of such a high calling (in our minds). That in itself is a dangerous door; pursuit of gfts and the supernatural has caused many a called man to stumble into serious imbalance and even venture into the New Age and the demonic while pushing to give his display of proof for who he is.
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Once these are seen as different giftings with diverse operations rather than hierarchical governing positions then those who function in “five fold ministry” can come together without fear of territorialism, take-over-ism, and elitism being debated.
We don’t have that expression of apostles and prophets at “ruling over” territories at all in Scripture. We do find them operating in the power of Christ wherever they go; and it’s simply an outflow of their relationship with and declaration of Jesus Christ. In fact the synonym for “authority” is “responsibility” - and that is the servanthood functionality in its rawest form.
In fact, we find that those who operated in apostleship and the prophetic were sent by the church; they went to different people groups and cultures to preach Jesus and the Kingdom; and from within that place the bi-product would be a community of believers planted and established in Christ as the preeminent one and functional Head and those believers being equipped to follow after the indwelling Spirit of Christ.
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Apostles would later appoint elders in those church plants to oversee (not be the Head).
There is a constant continuation in Scriptural example of those who functioned in apostleship going forth and reaching into new cities, nations, and territories to preach the gospel as itinerant church planters and then maintaining connection with those plants to help re-center them when needed.
It’s an obvious New Testament pattern; city, national, or regional “rulership” is not. A man can operate in apostleship in Africa but that doesn’t mean he is the Apostle “over” Africa even if he is sent to Africa.
If you want to see what a church government “ruling” over cities and nations looks like, look deeply at the Catholic Church and it’s hierarchical set up for the past 1,500 years. We don’t need to re-vamp their ideas for the now. We simply need a revolution back to Century One Church.
With the hierarchical and territorial set-up, there is an absolute open door for…
Doctrines to be corrupted.
Power becomes pursuit.
The supernatural is misrepresented.
Money is mishandled.
The bride of Christ loses her place.
Ministry is capsized.
Spiritual abuse occurs.
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We must be careful in our pursuit of the Century One Church to not be distracted by that which has always seemed to destroy the body of Christ.
Maybe consider this…
William James Roop
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