An Apostolic Church

Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,

I grew up in the Midwestern United States in what is known as the Bible belt. The influence of the church has a deep effect on that society as a whole. Most of the social traditions of our culture had a link back to some aspect of church life. Far from being a homogeneous religious society it is perhaps one of the most varied in the world. There are literally thousands of churches in our city all of whom have some claim to superiority over the church across the street. There really are churches on all four corners of an intersection who have almost the exact same doctrinal stance on everything except one little aspect of opinion about a obscure doctrine that has no foundation in the Bible at all. Many of those differences are about church government.

In that setting when you speak of an Apostolic church you are meaning that someone read the Bible from a structural mindset and thought their pastor should really be called an apostle and so they became and apostolic church. I always wondered how they knew that their pastors were apostles. I always wondered why they were elevated to a place of near worship. And I always wondered why the apostles seemed to end up in some mess that had its roots in pride. After about fourty years of asking God about things and observing carefully the present and past histories of pyramid business, governmental and church authority structures I really don't wonder.

There is an impulse in the human heart that is more deeply ingrained than any sin of the flesh or sin of the eyes. The pride of life is so deeply deceptive that it will turn even the scriptures into an opportunity for self advancement. I have seen this tendency in myself as well.

Let me say from the beginning of this sharing that I understand so well the temptation of seeing ourselves as God's "special" messengers. When I was about twenty Oral Roberts laid his hands on me and prayed that God would place the same anointing on me that He had give him. For the next few months almost everyone I prayed for was healed. As this took place I began to experience a sinister movement in my soul. I had so longed to be esteemed by others that when people would talk about the ministry God was bringing forth in me, I felt an irresistable pressure to agree that I was indeed embarking on a ministry of great importance. I felt it set me apart as someone to be revered as God's servant.

What I saw growing inside my soul made me sick at heart. I finally prayed that God would remove the manifestation of His power until I could handle it. I realized I was getting deeply in trouble with my own need of esteem.  -  pride.

It is so easy to criticize and judge leaders who fall but I can promise you that all of us could end up there so easily. I would have gone there for sure. God was very gracious and did what I asked. But I never forget that it is only a breath away from me should I choose to believe my press.

As I began to seek God about what the Bible really means when it speaks of the church that is apostolic in its foundation I was very surprised by the answers He gave. I want to consider one today.

The Church that is built on the foundation of the Apostles is a church that holds every member of the body to be as important as any other for the work of ministry.

Ephesians 4:11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

This is just the opposite of what we tend to hear about apostolic leaders. They are seen to be the heroes - the pre-eminent ones. The rest of us are seen in a descending order which also means a lesser value. Outside of the "fivefold" ministries the rest of us are a bit like expendable crewmen on Star Trek.

When I studied all of the scriptures on apostles and leadership in the church I began to see that the pattern is clear. Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists and Pastor/Teachers are not "ministries." They are given to the body to build up the individual members for those same members to do the work of ministry.

Now each Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist and Pastor/Teacher has their own ministry to fulfill as a member of the body. They live out their witness in the world just like the rest of us. Their other work is to build each member of the body into a functioning minister of the gospel.

If we were using a sports metaphor they would be the coaches.

An Apostolic church is not one that claims to have an apostle. If they do have one it won't matter whether they call him one or not. The body he works with will be a thriving, life giving fellowship in which each member is valued as vital to the work of ministry the church is doing. This is because a true apostolic passion birthed from God makes someone like Jesus.... constantly looking to build his brothers and sisters into God's vision of them and continually seeking to release them into their destiny.

Scripture tells us God's apostles are the  foundation of the church. Have you ever noticed that a foundation is underground? All that is usually seen is the little space above ground where it supports the building. Most apostles are never recognized because they are giving their lives away in hidden service. Their disciples seem to constantly outshine them. What great coach was primarily interested in getting his or her name in lights? The greatest coaches in the world remain in relative obscurity in comparison to the athletes they train. And that is exactly how God wants it to be.

The greatest mark of Apostleship is not having the title. The greatest mark is having the reality. The reality is not seen in the personal life of the apostle. It is seen in the lives of those he trains and supports. These same thoughts apply to all of the other three/four gifts - the prophet, the evangelist, the pastor and/or teacher. These are not the description of their ability. They are the description of what they support, teach and train others to do in the body of Christ.

If you belong to a church that claims to be apostolic and it really is, you will know that you have a personal destiny that is essential for the success of that body's ministry. You will also know that your contribution is just as important in God's eyes as the ministry of the apostle Paul's was. You will also recognize the gifts given in the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are to build you up not to exalt themselves. And if you belong to that kind of fellowship you need to thank God you have the opportunity of belonging to a life giving church - An Apostolic Church.