As we continue into the season of the
restoration of the apostolic ministry, we continue to go deeper in our
understanding of not only what or who the apostles are to be to the
Church, but what their message is today. Even though we will discover
that there are different kinds of apostles who are called to different
areas such as praise and worship, etc., we will find that they will be
bringing those messages from an apostolic realm of revelation. They
will be speaking of kingdom order in their areas of anointing.
As Church history has taught us, there is a
pattern that we fall into every time there is a restoration to the
Church of that which was once lost. Like a pendulum, we see the Church
at first fighting the change, then going to an extreme in the “new
thing” and then eventually coming back to a balance. The reason is
that when it is first being accepted, it becomes almost a “fad” in
the Church. The error comes when some like the sound of the new thing
and want to jump on the bandwagon when they are not called to it.
When the prophetic message (I hesitate to
call it a “move”) began in the 80’s, almost everyone seemed to
then be a prophet. Most conferences were entitled as “Prophetic
Conferences”. Some were true and most were not, and that is because
there was not a true understanding of what “prophet” or “prophetic”
meant. We are now beginning to see more of a balance in that area.
Now we are fully into the apostolic message
and the pendulum is at the stage in its swing of coming into
acceptance and going out to the extreme end. We can’t seem to find
what has happened to all the pastors and evangelists because all of a
sudden everyone is a prophet or an apostle. Please hear me! We need
true pastors and evangelists to enter into the restoration of
five-fold pastor and evangelist offices as much as we need the
prophetic and apostolic. The teacher appears to be the most consistent
and stable one today. STAY WITHIN YOUR ANOINTING! If you are called
out into another of the five-fold areas, wait on the Lord. Find
someone with a true mantle of that to which you are called and learn
from them.
The Apostolic Message
I have been listening to many of those who
are being called “apostle” to discern what they are preaching. I
have also been reading those who are writing on the apostolic to see
what they are saying and have been somewhat disappointed. I am by no
means saying that this includes all, but does include most. I am also
not saying that I have the whole truth on this subject, but will base
the following on my calling, the present condition of the Church and
the Word of God.
Most that I am hearing and reading are still
preaching and teaching the same things we have been feeding on all
along and therefore are not bringing change to the Church. There are
now appearing more books with the same or close to the same title as
“Not Many Fathers”, but are not dealing with the restoring of
divine order, discipline, or change to the Church.
You’re probably thinking by now, “Apostle
Paul preached salvation and those kinds of messages”. Yes, but to
whom was he preaching? I guarantee that he was not preaching salvation
messages to the Church! He was not preaching faith messages to the
Church and he definitely was not preaching ear-tickling messages to
attract more members to the Church. He was not speaking of Church
growth programs or fund-raising programs to those who were saved. He
was not teaching the Church leaders how to run a good nursery program
or the developing of Sunday school material.
Galatians 1:9-11, “As we have said
before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel
contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed. For am I now
seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men?
If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of
Christ. For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was
preached by me is not according to man.”
He preached Jesus crucified and risen again
to the lost! He preached salvation messages to the lost! Here is what
he preached to the Church...(and is certainly not the whole list, but
merely some of the main areas):
• Covenant unity: Demanding that the Church
honor each other through edification and building up one another in
love. He demanded that the churches maintain unity of faith and
spirit.
• Discipline: Stating that those who were
without discipline in the Church were illegitimate (fatherless). He
also taught the leaders of the Church that they must practice
discipline in their government and not let sin reign in their
meetings. Church is for believers, and those who were playing games
and causing division in the Church were to be “cut off from
fellowship” if there was no repentance.
• Integrity of character: This began with
leadership. Out of fifteen qualifications for leadership that he wrote
in the books of Timothy and Titus, fourteen were dealing with
integrity of character. A great deal of his message to the Church had
to do with developing godly relationships with each other.
• Leaving the elementary doctrines: Not
forsaking them, but leaving them and going on to maturity, being
established in the truth that is present with you.
• Government and order: Much of his
teaching to the Church had to do with Kingdom government and God’s
divine order in His Church. He taught the Church to honor those who
led them in spiritual things. He taught them to follow God’s order
in submission to those in spiritual authority. He taught kingdom
structure in the Church, etc. “Let all things be done decently and
in order”.
If the Church is ever to be the instrument
that God ordained it to be, it will have to grow up and submit to the
divine order of following the apostles’ doctrine, not the doctrine
of man!
In His Covenant Love,
Apostle Richard
