The Apostolic Movement The Apostolic Movement
Having consumed and assimilated a plethora of printed resources on our topic, a unity and homogeneity was discovered amongst the authors, except in three (3) areas:
Not surprisingly, these three items will determine the success of the rising apostolic tide:
There is an interrelationship between the three. All represent an area for the enemy to sabotage and undermine restoration in its infancy:
"As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them ..." [Is. 3:12]
"... The head of the woman is the man ..." [1 Cor. 11:3]
"A bishop [elder/overseer] must be the husband of one wife ..." [1 Tim. 3:2]
"Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife ..." [1 Tim. 3:12]
Why didn't the LORD say visa-versa that the bishop/deacon must be the wife of one husband? Answer: the Spirit is purposely hereby establishing the gender.
From the onset, let us establish the fact that women can minister. They have something valid to say. Sometimes she is the most qualified person to stand behind the pulpit, at a given point in time. Women can move in all the charismata gifts [1 Cor. 12]. Women may have leadership abilities. This does not place them in headship. We are an apostolic people: the woman may operate and minister with apostolic grace; but can she walk in the appointed office of apostle? Not scripturally.
There is not any undisputable scripture supporting the concept of women apostles.
There is not one solid irrefutable text even placing a first-century woman in the office of head pastor, let alone, apostle.
Since the head of the woman is the man, as a head-pastor she must be under the covering of an apostle, and she must be single, because if she married, she would be usurping her husband. We cannot return to the error of mandatory clerical celibacy, forbidden in 1 Timothy 4:3; therefore, there cannot be head shepherds of the feminine gender.
This is not dogmatic legalism; we are talking about sound, safe doctrine.
A woman can pastor, but not at the level of head pastor. She does not have the final say in church
governmental issues. [1 Cor. 14:35] - "And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their
husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church," i.e., she is not to be
debative, or controlling.
Phoebe:
Phoebe was a deaconess, or servant. Elders appoint deacons; she was not a head. It is not clear
whether she was appointed to an office, or simply an honored maidservant recognized by Paul.
Aquila and Priscilla:
The man Aquila ministered with his wife, Priscilla. They had a church in their home. He was her
head. The wife does not inherit a fivefold co-position by virtue of marriage. Remember that in a
marriage union, the man and wife are one flesh, but two separate spirits. It is one thing for the
wife to share the vision of her husband, but it would be usurpation for her to presume to share the
God-given authority of the husband's singularly appointed office. However, all charismatic
churches do not adhere to this belief.
???Junia(s)???:
One need only to look at the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew chapter one and Luke chapter three
to see that there were men's names ending in either the suffix, "-a", or "-as". The consensus is
inconclusive as to the sex of the person, Junia(s). Certainly we cannot establish a conclusive
doctrine in support of female apostles on one indeterminate vague reference. The few 2nd century
historians who are of the opinion that Junia(s) was female were born over 100 years after the
resurrection; they did not know Junia(s). It is certain, however, that the Holy Spirit knows and
can tell us the sex of Junia(s). He tells us that Junias is a man.
Deborah the judge (Old Testament):
Deborah judged Israel. It is clear she was a judge, not a queenly despot. To make her a type of the modern apostle is to over-allegorize an isolated situation. Furthermore, God wanted to raise up the man, Barak, as leader of the nation, because the LORD knew Deborah's inherent limitations as a woman.
Deborah agreed with the LORD, and supported Barak in his leadership calling.
When Barak balked by asking Deborah to go with him to war, God showed His displeasure by prophesying that the enemy general (Sisera) would be defeated by a woman (Jael).
The LORD's perfect will was that Barak himself, should have killed Sisera.
The LORD is saying that He could have spoken to Barak without the continual mediation of
Deborah. She was not to be Barak's pavilion or covering in battle, but the Lord God was to be his
shield.
Apostles are fathers in the faith, not mothers. Although Paul said to the Thessalonians, "We were gentle among you even as a nurse cherisheth her children," it must be pointed out that men make excellent male nurses, whereas a women can never be a father.
From the old testament we know that Jezebel manipulates her husband the King; she controls over 450 false prophets, and hates the true prophets. She usurps authority over men, and hates Elijah, the prophet of the LORD, who would not tolerate her false gods.
[Rev. 2:20] " ...Thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
23 And I will kill her children with death ..."
In this scripture she is self-appointed ("she calleth herself ...") and is unfaithful (fornicator) and
she encourages idolatry (misdirected vain abominable worship). Her tool is seduction. She teaches
the "deep things of Satan" [verse 24]
This disparity regarding women apostles, and the absence of clear biblical evidence concerning the subject, speaks prophetically that there will always be a lack of unity in the body of Christ, as long as we embrace the notion of female headship, thereby negating the promised effect of fivefold ministry---unity. THEREFORE,
Somebody has to act first. Somebody has to make the ultimate decision. Anything less is confusion.
70% of people call themselves followers. In an emergency the leader takes his role automatically, often in spite of his own private interests.
The N.T. Church under the authority of Jesus:
The O.T. "Church in the Wilderness" under the authority of Moses:
It is interesting that--while the priests had physical oil placed on them (only representing the
Spirit), on the other hand, the 70 elders had the actual prophetic anointing, the Spirit of God, that
was upon Moses. These 70 elders are significant, in view of the 70 "sent ones" in Lk. 10:1-3, &9.
Within certain categories there is a distinct token of a vertical ascending authority structure as evidenced by the appointment of leaders over 10's, 50's, 100's, and 1,000's. A leader over 1,000 certainly has more authority than a leader over 10. ---Not more importance, but more authority. ---Not more worth, but more responsibility.
One thing is clear---Moses and God had the final say, and everybody knew it. In the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, God has a chain of command amongst His people who serve as warriors in His Kingdom. Theocratic government is never "one man = one vote". Since we see through a glass, darkly, we may not perceive this power structure as God does, but it surely exists.
The word, "priest", is qualified by the word, "high", because there are levels of priesthood.
The word, "apostle", is not preceded by a qualifying adjective, because it is to be understood by the nature of the office that the apostle is number one. The idea of, "first", is incorporated in the title, "apostle".
It has been purported by some, on the basis of Ephesians 2:19, 20 and 3:4, 5, that the apostle and prophet are of equivalent authority in the Church.
"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;" [Eph 2:19,20]
"... The mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;" [Eph 3:4,5]
The mystery of Christ will ultimately be revealed to all the saints [Col. 1:26,27], and is not exclusive to apostles and prophets, but yes, the apostles and prophets are the major conduits to pioneer new revelations or restored truths that will alter the course of the universal Church.
Whereas it is the duty of pastors, teachers, and evangelists to preach proven truths, the apostolic and prophetic ministries, in addition to sound apostolic doctrine, bring fresh direction to the Body, but it is the APOSTLES who will determine if the fresh word of the prophet will be incorporated as universal Church doctrine.
The prophets judge one another, and the apostles are accountable to other apostles, but we don't have a New Testament example of a prophet correcting an apostle; not that it can't happen, but it is not the norm.
So in spite of the fact that the Scriptures imply that apostles and prophets together form a categorical level that receives a "special" degree of revelation, yet it is not the prophet, but the APOSTLE by the unction of the Spirit who will decide if such revelation shall endure as the custom of the Churches.
Therefore, Ephesians 3:4, 5 is a statement that denotes the high revelatory nature of the two offices of apostle and prophet, but is not an indicator of an alleged "equal" rank of the two ministries. For example, in nature, many organisms may share a trait or a plurality of traits, but that does not mean they have the same genetic composition. Neither do they have the same status in the biologic kingdom.
In the Old Testament, the prophet was not above the king, but divine revelation came to both occupations in the fashion necessary to fulfill their unique commissions. The prophet could rebuke a wayward king, but a king, good or evil, had the authority to kill a false prophet or even a godly prophet. The prophet had to let God deal with an ungodly king, but the king himself could deal with an ungodly prophet, which illustrates that the king has preeminence over the prophet. There is a parallel between the Old Testament king and the New Testament apostle:
In Paul's second letter to the Corinthian's Chapter Four, verse 8, he says,
"Ye have reigned as kings without us."
He, an apostle, was speaking to a church that was out of order that had inverted priorities. The implication is that if the Corinthians reigned as kings "without us [the apostles]", then conversely, in a church IN order WITH the apostles, the apostles would be in the rightful role of kings second to Jesus, supreme King, Number One Apostle, and Captain of the Hosts.
If the reader feels that the correlation between Old Testament kings and apostles has inherent short-comings, such is to be expected in allegories and metaphors. There is not a direct one-to-one correspondence between a king and an apostle in all cases. However, looking at the apostle from another political slant, the apostle is more specifically referred to in the New Testament as an ambassador. In Strong's Concordance, ambassador means, "senior", or "representative," derived from the base of the word used for "elder." Webster's Dictionary describes an ambassador as:
"the HIGHEST RANKING diplomatic representative of one country to another." Not by
coincidence, the secondary definition of the word, "agent" (not found in the Bible), is "one that
acts as the representative of another which is almost the same definition as ambassador a with the
omission of the phrase, "highest ranking." More importantly, the primary connotation of agent
is: one that acts or has the power to act; a person or entity empowered to act for another; a
representative of a government agency. It follows that if an ambassador is highest ranking, then
synonymous to an agent, he has power from the one who sends him, therefore it is not surprising
that Paul wrote, "Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs,
and wonders, and mighty deeds." [2 Cor. 12:12] On the other hand, John the Baptist, perhaps the
greatest of the prophets, was a spokesman for God, but did no miracles, although he was not
without a great anointing. It would seem that the prophet, though not necessarily without miracle
power, is foremostly anointed as a messenger, whereas the apostle is anointed for executive
decrees accompanied by actions, that is, words plus commensurately ensuing deeds.
As we compare the PROPHET to the APOSTLE, notice that whereas the prophet is a messenger of God to speak for God, the apostle rather is sent to speak and act. He is the highest ranking representative. The prophet may carry the message that God will judge the hearer(s), but the apostle may both warn of judgment and also be an instrument of judgment in the spiritual realm.
Regarding a messenger: his rank can vary, he is a conduit of communication with the MESSAGE
as the emphasis, but an ambassador is definitionally high ranking with RESULTS as the
emphasis. Such is the inherent trait of the ambassador and apostle. As a master-builder, the
apostle is an agent and contractor for God, empowered to change environments, but like the
prophet, the apostle's work begins with a message--the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets
"And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the Chief Corner Stone;" [Eph 2:20]
The emphasis here is on the Corner Stone, the revelation of God in the flesh, Jesus Christ.
[2 Pet. 3:2] - "... Be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets [Old Testament], and of the commandment of us the apostles [New Testament] of the Lord and Saviour:"
[1 Pet 1:10-12] - "Of which salvation the prophets [Old Testament] have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand [Old Testament] the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you ..." [by the New Testament apostles]
To the Old Testament prophetic scribes it was revealed that Christ would come. Through the New Testament apostolic writers it was revealed that He has come, and will come again.
[Matt. 7:24] - "... Whosoever heareth [by revelation] these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock [stone foundation]."
[1 Cor. 3:10,11] - "According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
[Matt. 16:17,18] - "... Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock [stone foundation] I will build my Church;"
The revelation of Christ within the authors of the Old Testament, the prophets; together with the revelation of Christ held by the New Testament apostles; grant them the privilege to be "living stones" in the foundation upon which the Church is built, the revelation of Jesus the Christ. "Upon this rock I will build my Church." [Matt. 16:18]
"Christ within" is actually the foundation, NOT men, but the apostles and prophets do bear a greater burden of the superstructure of the local and universal Church, as they bear the infirmities of the young and the weak, and the immature.
All those who have the revelation of Christ within are "living stones" in the house of God.
[1Pet. 2:5; 1 Cor. 3:16, Rev. 21:2, 22]
Those who worship idols are as dead stones, or cold clay:
[Ps. 135:15-18] - "The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. 16They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; 17They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. 18They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them."
Bear with me as we review some basics. There is a purpose in this.
The Church began on Resurrection Day. The Church was empowered at Pentecost.
The division between the testaments is Resurrection Day. (John the Baptist is an Old Testament prophet.) The Church has the Holy Spirit dwelling within. The criteria for church membership is that a person--
Jesus, after appearing to the women on Resurrection Day, ascended to Heaven as High Priest, placing His blood (in the spiritual sense) on the mercy seat. (The Mosaic Tabernacle was patterned after the heavenly one.) At this time, having preached to the O.T. saints in the paradise portion of Seoul, he ascended with these O.T. saints, now made suddenly believers in the resurrection. Some of them appeared in Jerusalem in glorified bodies after the resurrection. They were indwelt by the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead!! They are Christians!!
On Resurrection Day, Jesus commanded the disciples to "receive ye the Holy Ghost". The Holy Spirit was available, because Jesus was: #1, glorified, and #2, had ascended to the Father. This is the same offer that He made to those in paradise. He then gave gifts unto men, setting up the structure of the church: apostles, prophets, etc., although it wasn't revealed per se in so many words until Paul informed the church in Ephesians. Yet the offices were being practiced even before the evangelist could spell, "evangelist."
Hebrews chapter eleven says the O.T. saints without us should not be made perfect. Could it not be said that we are not complete without them either. Emphatic "YES".
There is one God and Father of all. Moses, and Abraham, and Peter, and Paul, and you and I are sons of the most high God, and He is our Father.
The Old Testament prophets are in the present Church. They form a part of its
foundation along with the New Testament apostles.
Jesus is not divided. The apostles must and will bring unity to the Church in all aspects.
Unity is predicated on AUTHORITY. The Lord's army must function as a well-oiled machine, each part in its proper place, with no competitive friction.
We surveyed 150 (one hundred fifty) residents in the Phoenix, AZ area, asking them, "Who is first in the Church under Jesus?" The respondents had a choice of: "??I DON'T KNOW??, apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher, or NONE."
?????? = 27.5% Since we were interviewing street people, this was the stock answer.
Apostle = 9.3% Dismal. Isn't it?
Prophet = 18.0% We're on Mormon turf. The head L.D.S. apostle is called, the Prophet.
Evang. = 1.2% Too many syllables, I guess.
Pastor = 10.8% Thought it'd be a little higher.
Teacher = 19.2% Surprise!
NONE = 14% Probably there were some Catholics in here, but most respondents were proud of this "revelation". Many of these respondents also claimed to be Christians.
To those who responded "teacher" we asked if they understood the question. (We thought they may have meant public school teachers.) In each case, we found they did understand the question.
Publishing: Printed and electronic media reaches only a minority, but we can at least reach many leaders and potential leaders.
Prayer: There's no lack of information here, just have to do it.
Repentance: Ditto. Repentance has a lot to do with running out of gimmicks. Apostles, don't sell your covering. The parents lay up for the children, not visa versa. The apostolic message will spread further and faster if we give it freely, rather than merchandise it. It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Sanctification: Without legalism. God needs clean vessels to flow through. Unplug the pipes.
Obedience: It does no good to be educated about the apostle, if we do not seek out and obey him, just as it does no good to know that Jesus is Lord, unless you come under that Lordship. Obedience is one step at a time. Do the first thing. "... To obey is better than sacrifice ..." [1 Sam. 15:22] "... So is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him." [Acts 5:32]
Surrender: Just as the people need to submit to leadership, the apostles and head pastors need to periodically surrender the pulpit, to allow the evangelist, prophet, teacher, and apostles-in-training to "learn to swim". You have to activate fivefold, not just teach it. Be it.
Don't fear change: esp. increased apostolic authority. Authoritative power is necessary for dunamis miracle power. God knows how to judge any potentially oppressive apostles. Being elastic to change brings both liberty and persecution.
Proper Church Structure: The laws in nature, which God has created, are a proof of the existence of spiritual laws. Within this mathematical framework, God has a Church pattern and proper structure, which is the fivefold ministry headed by the apostle. The machine won't run if it's not put together right. God can only bless His plan.
Signs & Wonders: They are the best, most effective publicity for the Kingdom of God and the apostolic realm. The anointing flows down from the "head of Aaron." The head, the apostle needs to be in place, for maximum dynamite power. If you are doing all of the above categories, this brings us to the next:
Patience & the Sovereign Timing of the LORD: World events play a crucial role in the emergence of the apostle and the miraculous. We cannot force God to move. We just need to make sure we are in poised in position to move with Him. The above list of strategies is not a formula to make God act, but only a method to prepare our hearts to receive what He does when He does it. God meets big crises with bigger miracles. Where sin abounds, grace much more abounds.
When the world is in a traumatic state of upheaval, you can expect an outpouring of the miraculous. Instinctively, both Christianity and the world are watching Israel, the powder keg, and Russia, the Sleeping Bear.
Meanwhile, we just have to keep on putting one foot ahead of the other. God can hold world events and the economies in suspended animation as long as He wants, so there's no point in being overwhelmed by sensationalism. Just be aware.
CONCLUSIONS:
Scripture & empirical evidence does not support the concept of women apostles. The
notion of female apostles is a result of man's fear of rebellion from the opposite gender;
men compromise their conscience to keep peace at home. The fear of the majority has
silenced the minority; most men are deceived by the modern humanistic concept of equal
opportunity even without equal God-given created workmanships.
The apostle is number one, but he needs the prophet, and all the others to keep him in
line. No apostle is an island, he needs the other four fivefold offices as support. Apostles can
be rebuked by the same process as any elder. [1 Tim. 5:1,19,20] He must be entreated first.God
knows how to remove apostles. The people will not indefinitely follow a tyrant. In the long
run, a prince is known by the abundance of people; but the despot will find himself without
subjects. The greater problem in Christianity is not inordinate shepherding, but rather, a
lack of committed loyal members. Even Paul and John had problems maintaining their
status as apostle in the eyes of some of their flocks.
Unity is required before the return of Jesus. It must be based on the Word of God (the
highest denominator), not ecumenicalism (lowest denominator). The Church is one. It is
not sectarian and exclusive. We must be meek, not arrogant, as we introduce the apostolic
revelation, or we will degenerate into an exclusive club.
The apostles need to stand up and accept their role and title. Many leaders are innocently
operating in the wrong nominal office. The gifts of prophecy, the word of wisdom, and the
word of knowledge are essential during this transitional period, as the Holy Spirit reveals
the giftings and callings that the Lord Jesus Christ is giving to the church. During this
transition period, there are and will continue to be apostles-in-training under the tutelage
of other fivefold ministers. An apostle is territorial, and therefore submits to other apostles
and fivefold ministers when he is led into another apostle's region or ministry. [Acts 15]
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