Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 17

Thread: Informal Apostles & Elders

Hybrid View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Church of
    Sherwood Park
    Posts
    3,515
    Blog Entries
    30
    Rep Power
    26

    Default Informal Apostles & Elders

    Discussing the regional work of apostles (the workers) working from regional centers, travelling to church localities, giving the gospel, and training elders.

    The regional work of informal apostles (the workers) - whom are no longer formally the apostles of the first century apostolic age but, nonetheless, they shall do the same work (Acts being the only book of the Bible that was incomplete without an ending - not to say the 66 books are not the complete Word of God - which is to mean we are to write the last act of the book of Acts and God foreknew we would need to).

    Apostles Set Up Elders Though Not Always
    Apostles for a Region of Churches with No Set Meeting Place

    Observe a worker’s (apostle's) travels for the Lord concerns the appointment of responsible brothers. Not every worker can appoint elders. Paul asked Timothy and Titus to set up elders, but apparently he did not call Mark, Silas, Luke, Demas, and others to do so. Some of us are to be hands, but not eyes. Think of yourself for a moment as a hand. Can a hand after much consideration determine whether a pillar is white? Even if it were to deliberate for five days, it could never figure out the color. It would have to ask the eye to see and determine. Those of us who are hands or ears but not eyes, let us be mindful of the fact that it is easy to set up a responsible brother, but it will be most troublesome to ask him to step down because of our own carelessness in having appointed him. How the entire Church suffers greatly in this respect. For this reason, we must not appoint responsible brothers carelessly. Paul called Timothy to seek for the faithful ones. This indeed is not a light area of concern.

    The Work Is Regional

    Among several things which have been shown to us, the first is the important principle of region or area. Whereas the. churches are local, the Work, we have come to see, is regional. To us this is something which has become crystal clear from the Scriptures. To put the matter differently, a church is in one locality, whereas for purposes of the Work, many such localities together form one region. This is evident from the New Testament, although ten, or even five years ago, we did not have the light to see it. It is apparent to us now that the Twelve worked in one region, while Paul, Silas, Timothy and Barnabas worked in another—or in more than one. And if we study the Epistles we shall discern a number of such different regions. Let us note also the words in 2 Corinthians 10, where we find Paul writing of his labors as follows: "Now we will not boast out of measure, but according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure has apportioned to us, to reach to you also" (v.13 Darby). He seems here to allude to the matter of appointed spheres of work, as though God drew a circle for them and drew another circle for another group of His servants, and that within these limits was to be found the sphere of work of a particular company of workers.

    This, therefore, is the difference of operation, as we see it, between the church and the Work: that the Work is regional, but the churches are not. No church can exercise jurisdiction over other localities, for its authority is essentially local. The sphere of the Work, on the other hand, is wider and embraces several localities in a single area or field.

    At one time we tended to confuse the sphere of the Work with the locality of the church. Today we see clearly that the Work comprises a number of localities, and that its sphere of operation is wide. For example, we find Peter and John cooperating as a team or unit in the Work of one region, while Paul and Timothy labor together as another unit in a different region. The different groups of workers maintain contact and have fellowship with one another, yet they equally have their respective working areas within which they move.


    The Region Has a Center

    We come now to a second principle. Each region, we find, has a center; whereas the churches, of course, have no such center. The church in Jerusalem cannot—as a "central church"—rule the church in Samaria. No local church can control another local church, nor can one church control several churches. The widest scope of a church’s authority is its locality; no more. There is no such thing as a regional church or an association of churches. The Church has neither regional council nor headquarters. But with the Work it is otherwise. The Work has a region and the region has a center, and that is why in the book of Acts we see Jerusalem as a center and Antioch as another center.

    This will help to explain what may until now have been a problem to some of us. If we have not yet seen that the Work is centralized in this way, then we shall probably have found Jerusalem a difficulty to us rather than a help. We have not understood its special character. While the whole New Testament confirms that the Church—in its practical expression—is local, nevertheless there seems something special to be learned from both Jerusalem and Antioch. What we have come to realize today is that the church in Antioch is one thing, while a Work taking Antioch as its center is another. From the standpoint of the churches, Jerusalem and Antioch are of an equal level with, say, Samaria; but from the standpoint of the Work, Jerusalem is a center and Antioch is also a center.

    At the beginning of Acts the Lord’s promise is that, when the Spirit is come, they shall witness "in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (1.8). Here Jerusalem is distinctly a working center in the divine plan. Again, in the thirteenth chapter, there emerges a new beginning at Antioch. The Holy Spirit makes a new departure, and from there men arise and go forth to work in other places. Thus Antioch is constituted another center of the Work. It was the Spirit who made a beginning at Jerusalem, and now it is the Spirit who makes a beginning at Antioch.

    In Jerusalem Peter, we must remind ourselves, was an elder. Here is something of value we have discovered through reconsidering Jerusalem. In days past we have stressed Peter as apostle, but have overlooked Peter as elder. In Jerusalem he had a double ministry. With regard to that city he was—like James and John—an elder of the church; but with regard to the whole Work that was centered there, he was an apostle and so were they. For this reason, when writing to the church at Antioch they wrote as "apostles and elders" (Acts 15.23). How otherwise could elders in Jerusalem write a letter giving command to the church in Antioch? Are they elders who write? But there are also elders among those to whom they write! Going outside their locality as elders, they would automatically become involved in a conflict of authority. If, however, they were not only elders but also apostles, then the letter they sent to Antioch in fact carried the weight of the Spirit’s witness, both in the church at Jerusalem and in the Lord’s Work through the apostles.

    So today we see how the Work of God operates regionally. God would have His Work in an area centered in one place, from which workers go and to which they return. In the local churches it is elders who bear responsibility; but in a regional center of the Work, there are not only elders as such but also workers bearing responsibility jointly with them.

    Scripture gives no support for the common practice of assigning a worker to a given locality for work and for government there. Unless he migrates to that locality and becomes a resident elder of the church there, a worker should settle in his Jerusalem. For two thousand years Peter has been blamed for not leaving Jerusalem, and some have even suggested that it was because Peter and John remained there that persecution fell upon the Jerusalem church. There is no basis in the Bible for this view, and the Lord tells us plainly that it is "because ye are not of the world" that "the world hateth you" (John 15.19). No, neither by travel nor by staying at home shall we avoid the persecution which comes when we begin to follow the Lord. That is certain!

    But on this question of going and returning, we can be assured that Peter was in his right place. He went to Samaria, for in Samaria was the Work of God; but from there he returned to Jerusalem. He went also to Caesarea; but once again he came back to Jerusalem. All this was because Jerusalem was his center, whereas Samaria was only one of the cities in that region of the Work. Thus it was that the fellow workers, moving from place to place through the region, set out from Jerusalem and returned there repeatedly.

    When we come to the choice of a center for the Work, we must be quite clear that this is a matter not for man but for God. Only He can decide the place, and only the Holy Spirit can initiate the Work. Human judgment and initiative have no part in this. We cannot consult together to choose a site for Jerusalem. Only the Jerusalem of the Spirit’s choice is Jerusalem indeed.

    So Peter moves to and from Jerusalem. Later, Paul moves to and from Antioch. They do not settle permanently in other places, but always return to their starting point. Their work is carried on within definite bounds or regions or spheres—call them what you will—and from divinely chosen centers. For each group of workers in any place, it is "according to the measure of the rule which God has apportioned."

    We should never appoint a worker from outside as elder of a local church. It was only in Jerusalem that Peter was an elder as well as an apostle. If you are resident in a place, you may be both elder and apostle simultaneously in that place, but nowhere else. You may go out as a worker to help other churches, but you must return. It is wrong for you not to return. Like Paul you may take a large circuit and come back, or like Peter you may go out and return directly. Either is correct; but you must return. Paul came back to Antioch, Peter to Jerusalem; this is the Lord’s word, and it could not be plainer. (Church Affairs, CFP, W. Nee)

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Church of
    Sherwood Park
    Posts
    3,515
    Blog Entries
    30
    Rep Power
    26

    Default Informal Apostles & Elders

    Informal Apostles & Elders

    Discuss Biblical locality (Acts 14.23, 8.1; 1 Cor. 1.2; Rev. 1.4, 2.1, 8, 12, 18; 3.1, 7, 14) and the special Work (Acts 13.2) of the Ministry (Eph. 4.11-12) which precedes the existence of church locales. Study Assembly Life (pdf). Discuss various types of meetings in the practice of fellowship at a designated weekly meeting place within walking distance! In a Biblical locality - a city, town - there are many meeting places, and each meeting place is about fifty to one hundred brothers and sisters (1 Kings 18.4) and as many as 3000 to 5000 (Acts 2) in congested areas. An Elder of a meeting place takes care of a meeting place with its various types of meetings.

    Though there may not be the title of elders today, there nevertheless are men in every place who are like elders and who do the work of the eldership. They act as informal or unofficial elders. Yet the question still remains, How are they raised up? Who asks them to act as elders informally? We must answer that they are appointed by the informal apostles.

    Though this question of apostles remains controversial, there is nonetheless a class of people today who are performing the works of apostles—such works as preaching the gospel and establishing churches. They confess that they fall short of the holiness, power, victory and labor of the apostles because they can only do a small portion—perhaps one thousandth—of the works of the early apostles. Yet God uses these people in our day to labor in various places just as He used the apostles in the earlier days. Formerly it was these apostles who established churches everywhere, but now it is these informal apostles who do such work. We admit they are far inferior to the early apostles, that they are not worthy to be called apostles; nevertheless, we cannot but acknowledge them as doing part of the apostolic work. These men are those whom God uses in today’s ruinous state of the Church as apostles.

    There is another aspect of informal as mentioned in Spirit of the Gospel,

    Only the relationship between friends is something informal and conducted on the basis of the same or equal position. A good father is not only that to his son but he is also his son’s friend. A judge usually stands opposite to a criminal, yet some judges may even become criminals’ friends.

    And meetings themselves if too rigid lose the quality of "informal meetings," as noted in Revive Thy Work by Watchman Nee.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Church of
    Sherwood Park
    Posts
    3,515
    Blog Entries
    30
    Rep Power
    26

    Default Returning to the First Love

    How do we return to the first love that was lost in the first century?

    First, we must know what that first love was in Christ. The apostles were directly commissioned by God to appoint elders of a locality whom in turn approved the elders of meeting places within a locality. Such was the harmony in the Ephesus first century church period. This was the spiritual arrangement set by God, which means any model that has more levels or less levels in the Work than this, is not abiding in Biblical locality.

    To reclaim this first love that was lost we again need 12 apostles who will find agreement and from that agreement, more apostles will follow to do the regional work of appointing elders for localities.

    It is that simple. The bottleneck is we don't have the 12 in agreement yet. That is the mission of these forums is to find them.

    The 19th question is unique, the only one of its kind. The purpose is to require responsible elders to give their meeting place on the Meeting Place Finder map selflessly because the forums are designed for the Finder, not the other way around. Because an elder in doing the work for the body of Christ wants to remain selfless, they choose not to be a member of the forums if they are unable to, for whatever reason, submit their meeting place for the body of Christ to find a place to fellowship, found through the internet.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Church of
    Sherwood Park
    Posts
    3,515
    Blog Entries
    30
    Rep Power
    26

    Default The Ministry of the Word

    The Ministry of God's Word - contents and ministry of the Word.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Church of
    Sherwood Park
    Posts
    3,515
    Blog Entries
    30
    Rep Power
    26

    Default Raising Up Workers

    Raising Up of Workers

    The first matter we wish to inquire into today is how a worker is raised up. Principally we will consider two different situations. The first happens where there is a local assembly. Where this is the situation, any brother who has the burden to work abroad needs to have the consent of all the brethren with whom he meets as well as to bear his personal responsibility before God. This can be likened to a finger of the hand which cannot move individually but must move only with the whole human body. It needs the sanction of the entire body before it can move. Today we see Christ as the Head of the Church, with the Church therefore constituting His body. So wherever there is a local assembly, there is always the need of getting the consent of the brethren. Take, for example, the situation to be found in Acts 13. There we see an assembly of believers situated in Antioch, and so we find that the Holy Spirit sent forth Paul and Barnabas through the local church there.

    But where no local assembly exists, the situation is quite different. If there is no local gathering of believers, then a person who desires to go forth to work must bear his own responsibility directly before the Lord because an expression of the Body of Christ is not manifested there. In Acts 11, before the church in Antioch was established, Paul and Barnabas are found bearing responsibility directly before God. But later on, after the local church was formed at Antioch, the Holy Spirit is seen sending out prophets and teachers through the local expression of the Body of Christ. For by that time the work of Paul and Barnabas was no longer only a matter before God, it must now also be a matter in the church. There at Antioch the disciples laid hands on them and sent them out. The laying on of hands is for the purpose of showing sympathy and expressing union. Through this laying on of hands in the local assembly at Antioch, all the brethren joined with Paul and Barnabas in their mission. In essence, therefore, the going forth of these two was the going forth of the body of believers there. Yet it must be understood that such laying on of hands at Antioch was something vastly different from the practice we find nowadays called ordination. The latter is a form of human traditions, and is totally foreign to the Scriptures.

    The sending out of Paul and Barnabas was for the sake of doing the work the Holy Spirit sent them to do. This was the first missionary work in history. In this sending forth, the Holy Spirit has absolute sovereignty. A local church cannot send out men on its own. The sending out of the local church is the acceding to the movement of the Holy Spirit and the executing of His order.

    In Acts 15 we read about another excursion contemplated. In verse 40, however, we notice the separation of the footsteps between Paul and Barnabas. Paul had suggested the journey, but Barnabas had insisted on taking Mark whom Paul deemed to be inappropriate for the task. There thus had arisen a sharp contention. Whereupon Barnabas decided to take Mark with him, but Paul took Silas with him and went a different way. It should be noted, though, that it is recorded in verse 40 that "Paul . . . [was] being commended by the brethren to the grace of the Lord." Here, then, lies the difference between these two men. Paul was sent forth by the church, but Barnabas was not. Paul was commended by the brethren to the grace of the Lord, whereas Barnabas was not. In this conflict, the local expression of the Body of Christ stood on Paul’s side. And as a consequence, we shall find that after chapter 15 Barnabas is no longer mentioned in the Acts narrative, thus proving that the Holy recognizes and ratifies the sending of the local expression of the Body of Christ.

    In the instance before us now under discussion, we must note that Mark was passive, for he was a young worker under training. Hence his responsibility was not as great as that of Barnabas. Later, however, Mark was restored by God, and was once again brought back to the work by Him. But what about Barnabas? He was gone from the scene and never returned to the work of God. The Book of Acts never mentioned him again thereafter. Now if any of you should be tempted to say, "If others can, why can’t I? Since a certain brother has gone to a certain place, why can I not go away, too?", then beware that that other brother of whom you speak is sent out properly in the context of the local church, whereas your going out will be strictly on your own. The difference lies just there. You cannot argue that if God could use him He could use you too. For God could indeed use him because he is sent out in the local body of believers, but He cannot use you. Do not fancy that God cannot lay any of us aside. He most certainly can lay us aside just as He laid aside Barnabas. How very clear and plain is the record found in the Book of Acts. For after this incident, the Holy Spirit ceased to mention Barnabas in the narrative.

    A worker may do a work individually, but his movement must be in the church. This was the case at Pentecost: "Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spake forth . . ." (Acts 2.14) The "standing up" here is plural in number in the original Greek, whereas the "lifted up his voice" is in the singular number. Though only one man spoke, the eleven stood behind in support. Let us therefore realize that we too need the support of our brethren when we work.

    Here we must learn the lesson of obedience. Both those who send and those who are sent need to learn obedience. Only in the spirit of obedience can people recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit. The criterion of any work is not approval but obedience. It is not because you approve of a certain brother that you therefore send him out. Many a time we may not approve the idea of a particular brother but we have to let him go, for the question lies not in approval but in obedience. Only in the obedient can the Holy Spirit find His outlet.

    Now as the worker is sent forth he becomes an apostle, for an apostle is merely a sent-out worker. Paul was an apostle. What is the difference between an elder and an apostle? According to the word of God, an elder is immobile whereas an apostle is mobile. An elder is for a specific locality, but an apostle is for the entire Body. Paul was never an elder; he was only an apostle. Peter and John, though, were both elders and apostles. When they were in Jerusalem, they were elders of the church there. Yet besides being elders in Jerusalem, they were also apostles sent abroad. Because they were elders, they had the authority of local supervision. On the other hand, the responsibility of an apostle is to do the work committed to him abroad—he does not have the responsibility of overseeing in his own locality. I trust we are all clear on this distinction. When we talk about eldership we have reference to a locality; when we talk about apostleship we have in mind the whole earth. Yet it is possible for one person to perform both these functions—that is to say, to bear the responsibility of the local oversight as well as to bear the responsibility of the work of a wider sphere. In my own case, for example, my work on the one hand is serving workers at various places and on the other hand bearing responsibility with the other responsible brothers locally in my town.

    The Confirmation of Workers

    Let us now see who the workers are. How do we confirm a worker?

    First, workers must have spiritual gifts. Gifts are of various kinds. Preaching the gospel is one kind, to be a prophet is another, and to be a pastor or teacher is still another kind. Different gifts result in different operations. The gift of an evangelist is towards the outsiders; the gift of a teacher is to decide on doctrine; and the gift of a pastor is to shepherd people—nourishing the spiritual life of the believers, causing that life to grow, and helping to solve all kinds of personal problems.

    The more a worker is equipped with the above-mentioned gifts the better. A worker must at least possess one gift.

    How do we know if a person has any gift? If you have a gift, the brethren who meet with you should be able to bear witness to the fact and confirm it. For this reason, the confirmation of gift is with the local body, which is able to sense it out. Whether your gift is that of an evangelist or that of a teacher, the body will perceive it. Even if you are not fully occupied with the ministry of God’s word, you still could possess the above-mentioned gifts and thus do the work accordingly. For these gifts must be possessed by the workers, though they are not exclusively theirs.

    Many think that if they are unsuccessful in working at one place they could change to another place and succeed. The fact of the matter is that the problem does not rest on locality. If a person is unable to work in one place, he is equally unable to do so in another. The issue is whether the person has a particular gift. A person not gifted is without gift at any place.

    Second, a worker though gifted is nonetheless unable to work if his life is poor. For work depends on not only gift but also grace. It requires sufficient grace more than adequate gift. Although the result of a work is much related to gift, even so, it has more direct connection with the worker himself. Engaging in the same type of work, people with different grace will produce very different results. For the grace upon a person determines the work he accomplishes. It does not mean that the one who is without grace cannot lead others to Christ; in fact, he may be quite effective in winning souls since he has the gift of preaching the gospel; but due to the lack of life in him, the more work he does the more destruction he brings in. Today many workers build on the one hand and demolish on the other. The explanation for this lies in the lack of life.

    As recorded in Acts 16.2, the brethren reported well of Timothy; and hence we find in verse 3 that Paul took him in the journey. This is the witness of the brethren. Timothy is not only confirmed in one place, he is confirmed by the brethren belonging to two places. If your condition before the Lord is good and you have sufficient grace, the brethren who meet with you shall surely testify concerning you. And not only those who are spiritual, even the not-so-spiritual shall testify for you.

    Concerning Letters of Recommendation

    Finally, let us touch briefly concerning the letter of recommendation. Paul mentioned this matter to the Corinthian believers (see 2 Cor. 3.1). So we see that the New Testament does indeed deal with this subject. When believers travel to new places they have the need of letters of recommendation. Paul in his Epistle reminded the Corinthian believers that he had no need of such a letter. This was because he had a relationship with them. So that he is an exception. But for ordinary believers such a letter is essential. For it serves two purposes: (1) in causing you to be known; and (2) in preventing false brethren from coming in. Every letter of recommendation should be signed by three persons to assure its authenticity. Ordinary letters of recommendation are best written by the local elders or responsible brothers. There are at least three different kinds of letters:

    (1) To recommend a certain person to partake in the breaking of bread, confirming him to be a brother or sister in the Lord.

    (2) To recommend a certain person as one who walks in the same straight path.

    (3) To recommend a certain person as not only walking in the same acceptable path but as also having a particular gift, thus providing an opening for ministry.

    Upon receipt of a letter of recommendation, the local responsible brothers should acknowledge such letter by writing to the place where the letter originated. For the sake of convenience, such letters of recommendation and their appropriate reply could be prepared and printed beforehand for ready use. When brethren come from abroad or go abroad, let such letters of recommendation be given so as to facilitate the receiving of such at the table of the Lord.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Church of
    Sherwood Park
    Posts
    3,515
    Blog Entries
    30
    Rep Power
    26

    Default The Preaching to Young Workers

    The Preaching of Young Workers

    Many a time today’s problem of the church begins with people’s desire for more gifts. They assume that they have a certain gift, whereas in actuality they may not possess that particular gift. And so they spoil the work in their hands. They mean well, but they have simply not been given that gift; and hence they are unable to accomplish it. It is just like one who may have the gift of a teacher but he cannot do other works: he can only fulfill his portion of work in deciding on the truth of the Scriptures or maintaining that truth or discovering new truth. As another example, a person with the gift of an evangelist can only do his work of evangelizing: he cannot be a substitute for the teacher in teaching or deciding on truth: he can only fulfill his own part.

    The problem today lies in the fact that few if any in the whole world stand in their proper place and are satisfied with their own position. The evangelist wants to be a teacher, and the teacher desires to be an evangelist. Everyone admires being what he is not. What is this? Is it not the manifestation of the flesh, the inclination of the natural man? Yet in the Body of Christ each member has his distinct function. The ear cannot be a substitute for the eye, nor the eye the ear. Even should the ear be located on the eye, the ear still remains an ear, for it cannot see. Here we discern the necessity of standing firmly in one’s own position. Each one of us must learn to stand in his own place.

    Personally speaking, young workers need not only be subject to the older workers but also to know what is God’s appointed place for them. By recognizing your given place you will not fall into the flesh, thus saving the work. Naturally, in the event that a young worker truly has the gift of teaching while the older workers around him lack that gift, then under such circumstances the older workers need to submit to the younger worker and accept his given gift. Nevertheless, each young worker should try to find someone more mature from whom he may learn obedience. There must be some older workers to whom he can be subject. Paul told Timothy to "abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them" (2 Tim. 3.14). Timothy needed to find out from whom he had learned. He had to go and find the worker who was ahead of him.

    A young worker must learn to accept unreasonable dealings. He should understand what unreasonable submission is. For true submission does not argue: if there be reasoning, then obedience is gone. In the work of God, no one can be independent nor can he escape submission. The young need indeed to be submissive; but then, too, the older is not to be an exception either. We cannot afford to be independent. If God should reveal a new truth to a brother, that brother must go forward in the spirit of mutual submission. He must not take any independent action.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Church of
    Sherwood Park
    Posts
    3,515
    Blog Entries
    30
    Rep Power
    26

    Default Covenants, Dispensations & Acts Goes On

    There is the Abrahamic Covenant, the Old Covenant of the Law with the nation of Israel, and the New Covenant in the dispensation of grace. There are several covenants below these major ones.

    The Age of:

    1. Innocence - Adam
    2. Conscience - After man sinned, up to the flood
    3. Government - After the flood, man allowed to eat meat, death penalty instituted
    4. Promise - Abraham up to Moses and the giving of the Law
    5. Law - Moses to the cross
    6. Grace - The cross to the Millennial Kingdom
    7. Millennial Kingdom - A 1000 year reign of Christ on earth centered in Jerusalem

    The Book of Acts Goes On
    And Paul abode two whole years in his own hired dwelling, and received all that went in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, none forbidding him. (Acts 28.30-31)
    Saying, What thou seest, write in a book and send it to the seven churches: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamum, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And having turned I saw seven golden candlesticks; . . The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks are seven churches. (Rev. 1.11-12,20)
    The Bible is a composite of 66 books. Of these 66, many—with respect to their subject matter—are obviously concluded at the end of their reading. For example, the book of Genesis has 50 chapters. When you read to the very last chapter, you instinctively feel that that is the end. Matthew has 28 chapters and you sense quite naturally when you come to its final chapter that it is truly the end. The same feeling comes to you after you have read Romans chapter 16 or Revelation chapter 22.

    But there is one very special book in the Bible about which you could not say you have reached the end. You can say that it is the end of the matter with regard to many of the other 65 books of the Bible, but about this particular book you cannot. And that is the book of Acts. When you arrive at chapter 28, you are surprised that it should close so abruptly. You really sense it is not yet concluded. And as a matter of historical fact, this book of Acts truly has no end, because what it speaks about is indeed still going on. The record of the acts of the apostles of the first century may be concluded, but the record of the apostles of all succeeding centuries has not been completed. Up to the present moment, in fact, you continue to read about the acts of God’s apostles. In short, the book of Acts has not yet been finished.
    "My Father worketh even until now," declared the Lord, "and I work" (John 5.17). This tells us the fact that ever since the rebellion of Satan and the fall of man God has been working until now, and so also has the Son been at work. How about what we find in the Acts? Let me say that the book of Acts is not a record of the work of Paul nor of the work of Peter; it is the record of the work of God. Who can say that after the time of Acts 28 God labors no more? Who can dare say that the work of the Lord comes to an end at Acts 28?

    This book has no conclusion. After the period of chapter 28, God still has many vessels who do His work. The labor of the Lord continues on; it does not stop there. Paul’s life did not end after his two years’ work in Rome. So far as his entire life is concerned, after his stay in Rome for those two years, he was released from prison and was able to visit new places as well as some old ones. He was later taken captive and was finally martyred. These events were not set down in the book of Acts. We need to note that Peter and Paul and John were three important persons in the church of God, yet none of their concluding periods of life was ever recorded fully in the Scriptures. Can we accurately say, then, that the book of Acts is ended?

    How can the testimony of God ever be fully written? It is truly without end. Neither a chapter 29 nor a chapter 30 nor even up to a 100th chapter will or can ever be written. New things would need to be added on all the time if the writing were to go on. For this reason, therefore, Acts must stop abruptly at chapter 28. Nevertheless, though nothing is further recorded after that chapter, the work of God has continued onward. The work of the first century did not reach its zenith. If the work that God has accomplished during these 4,000 years were to be consummated at the end of an Acts 28, then we would now be at the bottom of the mountain and God’s work would have by now greatly declined. But nothing of this sort has happened. For the Lord plainly declares, "My Father worketh even until now, and I work."

    Let us not assume that the work of God reached its zenith at the time of Paul or at the time of Martin Luther. The first century did not conclude God’s work, and neither did the sixteenth century terminate His work. The Lord’s work shall proceed forth until the kingdom age, and even to the new heaven and the new earth will it still go on without end. And if we believe as well as know this truth, we shall praise God.

    People often commit this error: they think that they live in the worst period of the church. People at the time of Martin Luther thought so; people at the time of John Wesley also thought this. We would say, however, that the era of Martin Luther was very good, and that the period of John Wesley was likewise very good. Perhaps fifty years from now, people will even say that the time we live in today was good. We are fearful lest men stop working, but let us understand that God will never cease working. Each year He knows what He will do. Each year He knows how far He will go. Each year He will accomplish what He has purposed to do. Daily will God go on; He always advances. Hallelujah, the Lord continually moves forward!

    We must see that whenever God moves forward He always has His vessels. In the period of the book of Acts, He had His vessels. At the time of Martin Luther, He had His vessels. And during the time of John Wesley, He likewise had His vessels. In each period of spiritual revival, God has had His own vessels. Where, then, it should be asked, are God’s vessels today? Unquestionably the Father works until now, but who among men continue to cooperate with Him? Who will say, as did the Lord Jesus, "and I work"? This becomes a serious question.

    If at this point we are given a little light by God so as to see a little of His reality, we shall come to acknowledge that the vessel which God today seeks for is the very one which He in the beginning has always had in mind—which is His church. In other words, the vessel which God ultimately looks for today is not an individual one, rather it is corporate in nature. And if He indeed needs a corporate vessel today, we will immediately realize that unless His children are brought to see what is the body of Christ and what is body life, they will be useless in the Lord’s work and will not be able to arrive at God’s aim.

    The first chapter of Revelation tells us that the church is the golden candlestick. God in His word not only says the church is golden, He also says that the church is the golden candlestick. If the church is only golden, she cannot satisfy God’s heart. Why does God say the church is the golden candlestick? Because the golden candlestick serves the purpose of spreading the light so that the light may shine far and wide. God wants the church to be a shining vessel, a vessel of testimony. From the very beginning He has ordained the church to be a candlestick. Not one certain person, but the entire church. In the divine view the church is a candlestick. It is therefore not enough for it simply to be golden, which means that everything about it is of God: it must also shine for God and testify for Him as the golden candlestick.

    The church exists for the testimony of God. If it is not golden, it is not the church. Yet if it is not also a candlestick, it is still not the church. If there be no life within, it cannot be the church; but then, too, if there be no testimony within, it will not be the church either. The church must understand what God expects to do and to obtain in this age. She will be a golden candlestick if she sees what the testimony of God on earth is today.
    May we reiterate quite simply here, that the work of God proceeds onward, that the Lord still looks for the suitable vessel, and that His vessel today is the same as that which was true at the beginning—which is to say, that it is not something individual but something collective in nature: in other words, the church.

    People will perhaps ask concerning the overcomers in the church. True, the church is in great need of overcomers; but the testimony of these overcomers is for the benefit of the corporate entity, not for that of the personal. Overcomers are not a class of people who deem themselves to be superior, esteeming themselves as better than the others and pushing them aside. Not so. They instead work for the entire body. They do the work, and the whole church receives the benefit. Overcomers are not for themselves; rather, they stand on the ground of the church and bring it to maturity. Hence the victory of the overcomers becomes also the victory of the whole church.

    Now since the vessel God needs is a corporate one, we must learn to live the body life. And to live out body life we must deny our natural life. We must receive deep dealings from God. Being dealt with by Him and having learned obedience and fellowship, we may have the privilege of being His vessel.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Church of
    Sherwood Park
    Posts
    3,515
    Blog Entries
    30
    Rep Power
    26

    Default The Work & Authority


    Apostles who have direct commission from God in the Ministry (Eph. 4.11) for the Church appoint Elders to take care of a whole Biblical locality who oversee the Elders of many meeting places within.

    "And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the house: and he called to the man clothed in linen [overcomers, Rev. 7.9, 19.14], who had the writer's inkhorn by his side. And Jehovah said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof...and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity...but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary [begin in the midst of christendom itself]...And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which [had] the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me" (Ez. 9.3-4,6,11).

    Before there can be Elders of a locality (other than Apostles who are also Elders) appointed by Apostles of a region of churches, first there must be at least Twelve Apostles in agreement to show solidarity as it was in the first century by this time, agreeing to the 37 questions or the questions the Twelve agree upon in agreement with the Word.

    Once enough Elders of meeting places give their meeting places on the Meeting Place Finder for the Body of Christ, out of some of those Elders will arise Apostles directly commissioned by God so that the Ministry (Eph. 4.11) has Twelve Apostles with more to follow.

    Then, and this is the vital point, we shall travel to localities, in groups of two or three, in a pronounced fashion to appoint Elders of localities whom we can find that agree with us. The Elders of a locality will also place their meeting place on the map, in addition to taking care of all the meeting places in their locality.

    One by one, they will approve of all the meeting places according to God's design, because the meeting places themselves are right before God with Elders who agree with these questions put before them in agreement with the Word. This is how we know they are abiding in God's will and authentic, for not disagreeing with the truth.

    Elders a relative term-it simply means those who are more spiritually equipped to take care of their jurisdiction of a locality or a meeting place.

    And this will not work if women are not equal as Apostles and as Elders.


    5 Deeper Truths:
    1) Biblical locality
    2) Partial rapture
    3) OSAS armnian - God predestinates by foreknowing (Rom. 8.29) of our free-choice (John 3.16,18) made in His image (Gen. 1.26,27): a conditional election, unlimited atonement, resistible grace, for the preservation of the saints. This is love.
    4) Tripartite man and woman
    5) Restoration of Creation - the restoration gap

    There are many others, but these five form the foundational truths of the Scriptures upon Christ's substitution (justification by faith), co-death identification, and sanctification (sanctification by faith and consecration, that is, the believer is not only justified, but is made holy before God by separating himself).

    The three items in the ark of testimony were the manna (typifies salvation), the two tablets (the Word), and Aaron's rod (the Holy Spirit). By the time of Solomon's temple, similar to today, things were so luxurious, somewhere along the line a priest removed the manna of salvation and Aaron's rod or the Holy Spirit from the temple. The pretentious worship of the Word was because of being without salvation or God's Spirit, so the Word was all for naught in the hands of the priests, similar to today. All three must be present: the Word, authentic salvation and the Spirit - Comforter of truth.

    Explaining These Truths Chronologically
    Contrast the Problems of Church History in the 7 Church Periods with the Solutions Below

    (1) There began the commencement of recovery, refusing papal authority at the time of Martin Luther. The time from Clement to Augustine truths were very unclear and dim. It was out of this papal system the heretical teaching of historicalism came (amillennialism, preterisms, and post-millennialism).

    (2) Prominently next was voluntary poverty. There should be only two classes of people in the Church - the naturally poor and voluntarily poor. Francis of Assisi was a catholic who sold all to give to the poor. Count Von Zinzendorf in Saxony, Germany (18th century) opened up his wealth to the Moravian church. From this church more missionaries have sent out than any other. Then there was Sister Eva who who also chose voluntary poverty. What followed was many in Great Britain who sold all they had and followed the Lord. And then many Brethren (1828) became poor voluntarily. The issue of money must be resolved. As God is the creator of all things, Satan tries to unify and unite all things into one thing - money, that is, the mammon of unrighteousness. All mammon is unrighteous, not just the love of money. If you do acquire the mammon of unrighteousness, use that wealth to gain friends to receive your reward in heaven. The one thing we need to be careful of though is not to give mammon to unrighteous hands.

    (3) Can you see the deficiency of the Reformation (Luther brought in the power of politics to help protest, not realizing such power would end up damaging the Church instead of helping her; so, came about national churches, an unequal yoking of together of politics and believers)? As well, Luther himself was confused about and unable to reconcile his held beliefs of resistible grace and total depravity. These two teachings are irreconcilable. If you can resist grace to not be saved, then you are not totally deprave, for if you were totally deprave, you could not resist God drawing. Ergo, calvinism is a lie because total depravity is a lie. James Arminius gave the truth of these mistaken assumptions of calvinism so that we have OSAS arminian's 5 points showing us the way of God's salvation. Luther also changed his mind from limited atonement to unlimited atonement (that was a positive move), and his writings were unclear on whether he believed in conditional or unconditional election. This is reflective of Luther's frustration being unable to reconcile total depravity and resistible grace. Consequently, Luther, lacking clarity, avoided this matter as much as possible.

    (4) The nonconformists. The rise of independent churches found national churches too dissatisfying. The error of independent churches, regional churches, national churches, person churches, doctrinal churches, ethnic churches still remained. During this time, we see those coming out of the worldly churches. Even still, God's way is not independent church (see 14).

    (5) The believer's equality (Mennonites revealed this) and baptism: rejecting sacerdotalism and accepting rebaptizers (anabaptists), which rejects the premise of infant baptism. As a result those in this recovery were severely persecuted. Nonetheless, this was still mostly to do with external recovery.

    (6) The inner life. Madame Guyon, Father (later Archbishop) Fenelon, and others developed this area of spiritual life. They were accused of being mystics, but they in fact were the most spiritual of their day. Men could not understand them, so the accusers found their accusing word to accuse them with - mystics. God also raised up the Pietists and the Quetists who had a deeper inner spiritual life. Then the Puritans with their inner life began to diminish greatly as exhibited by believing in calvinism. The "Mayflower" was the now famous ship that carried these emigrants from Holland and England to America corrupting it with the pride of calvinism.

    (7) Heavenly calling (the Brethren taught this-the goal does not lay in the reforming of society or expect an earthly blessing since the world will soon pass and all on earth will be judged. This was a radical departure in the church by the 19th century). The problem with the Brethren movement was but one, when having such an abundance of the truth objectively, there can be a lack of subjective experience. Leading Bible expositors among them were J. N. Darby and F. W. Grant who believed the church to be in ruin. The heavenly calling countered the social reform efforts stemming from the false teaching of post-millennialism.

    (8) Partial rapture and restoration of creation in the six summary days. During the 19th century, Robert Govett recovered the teaching of first rapture according to readiness (Rev. 3.10, Luke 21.36) and the last trumpet harvest (1 Thess. 4.15-17, 1 Cor. 15.50-52) of those who are alive and left to be raised with those asleep. G. H. Pember recovered the teaching of the sin of the inhabitants of earth's earliest ages when Lucifer fell, brought 1/3 of the angels with him and ruled over earth and what we now call demons; these demons were cast into the deep when God made ("became," same word used in Gen. 2.17, 19.28) it a desolate waste. Sometime later God restored what was already there in the six days which represent a summary of this period of restoration.

    (9) Sanctification (sanctification by faith and consecration, that is, the believer is not only justified, but is made holy before God by separating himself). This began with John Wesley. His lacking was having no faith God can give eternal life at new birth. But, he did accept the first four points of osas arminian. After Wesley came Robert Pearsall Smith, husband of Mrs. Hannah Smith who wrote The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life. The Keswick movement (Evan Hopkins of England, Theodore Monod of France and Smith) also taught the same. Andrew Murray was also raised up in this area. These brothers stabilized the work of recovery. Frances Ridley Havergal's hyms also expounded on sanctification.

    (10) The crucifixion of the old man. Darby noted putting off the fleshly man as well as sins of the flesh from the old creation. Jessie-Penn Lewis was also raised up to proclaim the truth of the cross. We are not just dead to sins, but dead to self. Anyone not dead to self, it is illegal for them to be married to Christ. The cross puts them away (Gal. 2.20) and whoever is not dead to sin is a dead old man (Rom. 6.6). We are dead to the law (Rom. 7.4) so we can be married to Christ.

    (11) The truth of resurrection (what death can't hold, is part of resurrection life in the new creation). Margaret E. Barber also found agreement in what T. Austin Sparks taught on resurrection life. However, what Sparks lacked was the acceptance in a deeper way the body life (i.e. Biblical locality). These writings were recorded in the "Overcomer" magazine.

    (12) Kingdom reality (and global prayer effectiveness for the church). This was exhibited in the Welsh Revival. In 1901-2 a great stirring broke out through the instrumentality of Evan Roberts. That revival surpasses all in the past history of the Church. None compared to it. He was not a good preacher, but Jessie-Penn Lewis taught him English as well as by J.C. Williams. Through his education many were saved through Evan Roberts. He was not an eloquent man, yet his impact was magnificent. When he spoke something real always came out. The Boxer Rebellion that killed tens of thousands of saints, increased global prayer. Quite notably Evan Roberts stood out in this regard in helping bring about this prayer. Many were sent to this oppressed land through such global prayers. Kingdom reality is a geographical occupation of the land, wherein a greater percentage of the population is Christian. God wishes His kingdom to come on earth,

    "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven...But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6.10,33).

    (13) Spiritual warfare. Still today the most authoritative book on spiritual warfare is Jessie Penn-Lewis's book The War on the Saints, which was co-authored by Evan Roberts. Through this book, spiritual warfare was released to the church by the dividing of spirit, soul and body (Heb. 4.12; 1 Thess. 5.23). Such light had not been seen for almost 2000 years in Ephesians 6 for since then believers had failed to experience these truths to this extent.

    (14) Women Elders. Through church history, women have not commonly been thought of as being elders, though Paul never said women could not be elders of a meeting place or a Biblical locality. How sad that would be if that were true, that not even one women on the whole planet could be an Apostle for a region, an Elder of a locality or an Elder of a meeting place. Rather, what Paul taught was that women are emotional which can affect judgment. But, this past century women have taken on greater responsibility, to vote and to take on any position in government. This reflects not a recovery of women as Elders in the Church, but women coming into a place of responsibility as they mature and overcome in Christ. We already know of an example in Scripture where a woman was an Apostle ("Junia", Romans 16.15), but due to society and tradition, there were no noted women Elders in the first century, though I am certain there were some as Paul did not say there could not be any. God speaks according to the times. For example, God would never again send an Abraham's son to be sacrificed (such sacrifices were the norm in the world), nor would God teach that men could divorce for no reason at all (due to the fact staying in the marriage would actually make the situation worse). Praise the Lord, what has occurred in the past century in the Church, more women elders, has brought about positive changes directly because Christian women walk more by the principle of their spirits' intuitive conscience in communion with God, and not by oscillating emotion! Many fleshly Christians still want to live under the RCC or other male-centric systems, but such an attitude is not permitted in the leading move of the Church today. Let us never forget, "So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Gen. 1.26). Men who conveniently want to subjugate women in the Church will have no part in Revival for the truth in the Church.

    (15) Unity of the church (the Brethren taught this) in oneness (which reveals and shows the church is in ruin today), or the body life (i.e. Biblical locality). Hence, the name of this forum: Biblocality Christian Forums. The apostles are commissioned by God directly on how to set up the churches by appointing elders to take care of Biblical localities. This has been forgotten since the first church period of Ephesus, when this first love began to be lost. This call today for the Church was raised up by Watchman Nee (1901-1972). Before Christ can return, the body life must be in place where the churches are founded on the apostles and the prophets, to not divide the Church any other way. What has happened in the past century regarding Biblical locality?
    • (a) Watchman Nee (CFP, CLC; not LSM) raised up this truth.
    • (b) The number of apostles abiding in this truth were 400 in China during the first half of the 20th century, but it dropped to 200 apostles in Nee's day.
    • (c) Nee was martyred in jail the last 20 years of his life. Are you going to stand up with me to reclaim Biblical locality?
    • (d) The little flock (some in the Church) with God's directly commissioned apostles remained in this truth through the ensuing decades.
    • (e) Satan entered to squash this work of God. Satan entered the heart of a "tare" (a man) during the 50's and 60's to counterfeit Biblical locality. This facsimile (LSM) and replicatory effort did much damage to the Church to keep it in ruin.
    • (f) The little flock with their Biblical apostles separated themselves from the deception and person in (e). That deception was several false teachings and a central-hub to Biblical locality. This is wrong, since in the Bible we see the Church has no hierarchy beyond the regional work of apostles.
    • (g) There has been a stalemate ever since then; the Church, which had a leading movement within of the little flock, as a whole does not want to move forward but remains divided. This is why it is so vital to establish twelve in agreement to reclaim the first love that was lost.
    • (h) The moderators of this forum have read about these things and testify they are true by the Holy Spirit.
    • (i) We now wait for twelve apostles to come together on this basis, to ask questions of apostles to be sure of their authority in the Ministry of the Work in agreement for all apostles to agree to because they are directly commissioned by God, and therefore, would agree.
    • (j) Prophecy: when the twelve regional apostles come together in agreement, this foundation, will cause them to go forth to set the example, for other regional apostles to appoint elders to take care of Biblical localities, using the Meeting Place Finder.
    • (k) Once many meeting places begin in earnest, the Meeting Place Finder can be placed on any website. The meeting places in it will be exactly the same no matter what website the Finder is on. The purpose of Biblocality Forums is to facilitate through the 12 apostles the questionnaire for themselves and apostles to follow for proper authority and submission in the Church. Under no circumstances is there to be advertising. The apostles must abide in "voluntary poverty," and the Meeting Place Finder is never to be anything more than a meeting place finder (that is, it must be without a central-hub - even databases should be maintained regionally by the apostles - just as the regional work of apostles do not exceed their regional scope, and Biblical localities do not have jurisdiction over other localities).
    May the Lord of harvest fill the lack to replace the "needed" to "are sent forth"!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Church of
    Sherwood Park
    Posts
    3,515
    Blog Entries
    30
    Rep Power
    26

    Default The Basic Idea to Organize the Church

    The basic idea is the body of Christ is not divided by denominations, for there are no denominations in Scripture, so don't say "I of Cephas" or "I of Apollos", nor even "I of Christ". The latter is like saying one is non-denom or a congregationalist. What is most important, the Bible always has in view the church as a city of believers, e.g. church of Ephesus in the churches of Asia Minor, church of Antioch in the churches of Syria, or church of Dallas in the churches of Texas. There are reasons for this (to prevent the flesh from extending itself past the locality as it would spread in a denom). It's an amazing revelation the Bible never violates this principle. So using googlemaps, I want to have a Meeting Place Finder on this basis, where Apostles work in those region of churches and appoint Elders of localities and identify their meeting places on the map.

    "And when they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed. But we will not glory beyond our measure, but according to the measure of the province which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even unto you. For this reason I left you in a region of churches, that you should set in order the things which remain, and appoint elders for every city as I directed you...without taking sides or showing special favor to anyone. Never be in a hurry about appointing an elder" (Acts 14.23, 2 Cor. 10.13, Titus 1.5, 1 Tim. 5.22).

    Rev. 2.1-7: "hast tried them which say they are apostles" (v.2); commend not to seek power of "Nicolaitans" (v.6 - those who conquer the people); "thou hast left thy first love" (v.4) of Biblical locality, for this is the way it was in the first century church period of Ephesus.

    The Bible gives the simplest guideline concerning the church. It is clear and unconfused. If we read the beginning verses of the epistles, the Acts, and the first chapter of Revelation, we meet such names as “the church which was in Jerusalem” (Acts 8:1), “the church of God which is at Corinth” (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1), and “the seven churches that are in Asia” (Rev. 1:4), which are the church in Ephesus, the church in Smyrna, the church in Pergamum, the church in Thyatira, the church in Sardis, the church in Philadelphia, and the church in Laodicea (Rev. 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14). In the Bible the churches are divided, but what makes the division? One and only one rule divides the church. Anyone can see the answer, for it is crystal clear.

    However, neither should the scope of the church exceed that of a locality. In reading the Bible, we find “the churches of Galatia” (Gal. 1:2), “the churches of Asia” (1 Cor. 16:19; see also Rev. 1:4), and “the churches . . . throughout all Judea” (Acts 9:31 Authorized Version). There were many churches in Judea, in Galatia, and in Asia; hence in Acts they were called the churches in Judea, in Galatians the churches in Galatia, and in Revelation the churches in Asia. Judea was originally a nation, but at that time it had become a Roman province. The various churches in the different localities of that province could not be combined to form one church, so the record in Acts terms them the churches throughout Judea. Galatia was also a Roman province, not just a city. There were a number of churches in that place too; consequently the plural of the word “church” was used to designate the churches in Galatia. These churches were not named “The Church in Galatia,” thus showing that the church should not be bigger in boundary than a locality. In the same vein, the churches in Asia were mentioned not in the singular but in the plural form. Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea were seven localities in Asia. They were not united together as one big church; rather they remained seven churches.

    "Being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone" (Eph. 2.20).
    “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" (Amos 3.3). "Have you tried them which say they are apostles" (Rev. 2.2)? We will bring together 12 Apostles, with more to follow in agreement, which God "hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5.18).

    Peter being an Apostle for the churches of Judea, he was also an Elder for the church of Jerusalem. In speaking to "the elders [of various localities] which are among you," "a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder" (1 Peter 5.1). Take "care for the flock of God" (v.2) in your locality and in approving the Elders of a meeting places. The church, which is usually younger, ought to "submit yourselves unto the elder" and "accept the authority of the elders" (v.5), both Elders of a locality and Elders of meeting places. Peter said, "I plan to keep reminding you of these things...Yes, I believe I should keep reminding you of these things as long as I live...So I will work hard to make things clear to you. I want you to remember them long after I am gone" (2 Peter 1.12-15) "He is especially hard on those...who despise authority" (2.10), even the authority of the Apostles and Elders.

    "Hast tried them which say they are apostles...God hath set some in the church, first apostles" (Rev. 2.2, 1 Cor. 12.28).

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    153
    Blog Entries
    1
    Rep Power
    18

    Default

    Are the Apostles in Today's Church?

    Most evangelicals reject outright the idea that there could be apostles today. One reason for this is because the Twelve were personally handpicked by Jesus to represent Him. They also were instructed directly by Jesus. No one alive today meets those qualifications. Another reason that evangelicals do not believe in modern apostles lies in the unique authority vested in such men. Jesus told the Twelve, “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me” (Mt 10:40). During the Last Supper, Jesus exclusively promised the Twelve that the Holy Spirit “will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (Jn 14:26). Accordingly, after Jesus’ ascension, the early believers devoted themselves not to what Jesus had said but rather “to the apostles’ teaching” (Ac 2:42). This was because the apostles’ teaching was identical to Jesus’ teaching.

    When Paul visited the brothers in Galatia, they welcomed him “as if [he] were Christ Jesus Himself” (Ga 4:14). Indeed, the apostles consciously realized their unique authority as Jesus’ representatives. In writing to the Corinthians, Paul said, “if anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command” (1Co 14:37). Speaking directly to the Twelve, Jesus said, “if they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also” (Jn 15:20b). It is no wonder that few have been bold enough to claim the mantle of modern apostleship!

    However, further data comes to light when one examines all the New Testament data on the apostles. Paul wrote that our resurrected Lord appeared to “the Twelve” and later to “all the apostles” (1Co 15:3-8). Are “all the apostles” different from “the Twelve”? Matthew 10:2-4 gives a listing (by name) of the “twelve apostles” and yet 1 Thessalonians 1:1 and 2:6 also refer to Paul, Silas and Timothy as “apostles.” Romans 16:7 may refer to two more apostles, Andronious and Junias. In Acts 14:14, Luke referred to Barnabas as an “apostle.” Finally, James (the Lord’s brother) certainly seems to have been grouped as an apostle in Galatians 1:18-19 and 2:9. In what sense were all these other people “apostles”?

    In Scripture there were essentially two types of apostles. Foremost there were those apostles who had physically seen the resurrected Lord Jesus, who had been personally chosen by Jesus to represent Him, and who had been trained directly by Jesus (1Co 15:8-9, Ga 1:11-2:10). This first group consisted of the spiritual heavyweights. They were the norm for doctrine and practice in the early church. It was they who wrote or approved all books now in the New Testament canon of Scripture. Whereas this first type of apostle was prepared and sent out by Jesus in person, the second type of apostle was prepared and sent out by Jesus in Spirit and carried much less authority (Ac 13:1-3; 2Co 8:23; Php 2:25). Not having been trained by Jesus when He was on the earth, the second type of apostle merely studied and repeated what the first type of apostle taught (1Co 4:16-17; 1Ti 3:14-15; 2Ti 2:2; Tit 1:5). [Even so they were directly commissioned by Jesus by the Spirit.]

    The word apostle in our English Bible is a transliteration of the Greek apostolos. The actual translation would be something like “envoy, ambassador, messenger, sent one.”1 The verb apostello carries the notion of “to send with a particular purpose,” thus, apostolos would mean “one commissioned” or “accredited messenger.”2 When translating the New Testament from Greek into Latin, the translators rendered apostolos with the Latin root missio (the basis for our “missionary”). Did you ever notice that the word missionary is nowhere to be found in an English Bible? Yet virtually every evangelical believes in missionaries. This is because missionary is the dynamic equivalent of apostolos. The justification for the existence of contemporary missionaries lies in the New Testament patterns of and teachings about the existence of apostles.

    Thus, while there are not likely to be anymore of the first type of apostle, modern church planters certainly do correspond to the second type of apostle. That is, they have been sent out by the Holy Spirit to evangelize and to plant churches. Church planters are truly apostles in the secondary sense, and they are as much needed today as they were in the first century.

    Granted that there is indeed a New Testament pattern to justify the existence of church planters today, how should our modern apostles carry out their ministries? Based on Acts 1-7, 8:12, 15:1-2 (cp. Ga 1:11, 1:18, 2:1, 2:9) and 21:17-18, it appears that most of the Twelve worked out of Jerusalem for at least seventeen years (it was their base of operations). While there, the apostles devoted their time to evangelizing the lost in Jerusalem and to teaching the saved. They also occasionally took short missionary journeys while based out of Jerusalem (Ac 8:14, 25). By the time Paul went there, however, they seem to have left (Ac 21:17-18). Only James was still present. However, looking again to the New Testament, it becomes obvious that near constant movement characterized many of the other apostles. They itinerated, preached the Gospel and organized churches. Rarely did these traveling apostles settle down permanently in one place.

    Occasional training stops were made in strategic locations, but then the circuit continued. For instance, Paul spent one and a half years in Corinth (Ac 18:11), two years in Ephesus (Ac 19:8-10), and two years in Rome (Ac 28:31). He managed to resist the temptation of staying any longer. Similarly, Paul told the apostle Timothy to “stay in Ephesus so that [he] might command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer” (1Ti 1:3); but once that job was done Paul wrote for him to “do your best to get here before winter” (2Ti 4:21). Despite what is commonly supposed, Timothy was an apostle to Ephesus, not a pastor there. Another example is Titus, left in Crete to “straighten out what was left unfinished” and to “appoint elders in every town” (Tit 1:5); once this was accomplished Titus was to join Paul at Nicopolis (Tit 3:12).

    What objectives did the early apostles have that motivated their travels? One was evangelism. In discussing the rights of apostles, Paul referred to apostles as “those who preach the gospel” (1Co 9:14). Similarly, Timothy was charged to “do the work of an evangelist” (2Ti 4:5). Even a cursory reading of Acts will show this to be an important function for apostles.

    Another objective of those sent out by the church was to organize and strengthen the newly converted. This was partially the reason for the one or two year stays. Ephesians 4:11-13 tells us that God gave apostles “to prepare God’s people for works of service.” Paul planned a visit to Ephesus, but in case he was delayed he wrote instructions so that they would “know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household” (1Ti 3:15). Timothy’s job was to “entrust” the truth to “reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2Ti 2:2).

    A major difference between an elder and an apostle is that a elder’s sphere of service is concentrated in the local church, whereas an apostle’s field is universal and temporary. Once an apostle has trained and appointed elders, he moves on. From then on, it is up to the elders to teach the church and train future elders, with occasional help from apostles who pass by.

    Under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, no words recorded in Scripture are accidental or without importance. All written there is for our profit. Just as we ignore New Testament patterns for ecclesiology to our peril, so also to disregard New Testament apostolic practices is unwise. The existence of mobile, traveling, itinerant church workers is a New Testament pattern. Virtually every church mentioned in the New Testament was started by apostolic teams, and continued on in relationship with these teams for years after their founding. Blood circulates all over the body, bringing in oxygen and taking away impurities. Itinerant church workers are to the new church as the blood is to the body. Their ministry is a part of God’s design for growing, healthy first generation churches. The New Testament pattern is for existing churches to support church planters who will start new congregations in unchurched areas. We still need the ministry of such men today. These modern apostles can also serve existing churches by helping ground them in sound doctrine and practice. In this sense they serve as seminary professors on wheels, training and equipping church leaders in their local settings (1Ti 1:3; 3:14-15; 4:1-6, 13; 2Ti 1:13; 2:1-2, 14; 4:1-5; Tit 1:5; 2:1-15).

    Twenty-first century apostles are to be servants of the church, not lords over it. Though they will naturally have the influential authority of an elder over the churches they begin, a modern apostle is really no higher in rank than any elder. Modern apostles are not like the Twelve of old. It must be remembered that the faith was “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). No “new” teaching is needed. No essential theology has been withheld from the church. Thus, a church planter’s teaching must be in harmony with the previous revelation from the Twelve. No doubt there will occasionally arise false apostles, and because of this we must be like the Ephesians who “tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false” (Re 2:2).

    It is not likely that we shall ever again encounter an apostle in the sense that the Twelve were apostles. However, the church always has had and will continue to have apostles in the sense that Barnabas, Timothy, Titus, and Epaphroditus were apostles. That is, church planters sent out to evangelize, start churches, train and appoint leaders, and then move on to another location.

    Apostolic bands were integral to the spread and maturity of the early church. Their existence and ministry is a New Testament pattern. They evangelized, made disciples, taught, organized, and appointed elders. Can you start a church without an apostle present? Yes. Can an existing church function without apostolic input? Yes. Can a church elect its own elders? Yes. Yet all this is much easier if apostolic workers are around to draw upon.

    Summary

    What the church does not need are:

    1. So-called apostles who try to lord over (rule) the local church. Apostles are to be servants of the church (Col 1:25, 2Co 13:4). The apostles are to strengthen local leadership, not supplant it. In fact, apostles should be accountable to the leadership of the local church.

    2. Apostles who dominate the meetings of the local church, and who try to turn it into a one man show. Apostles are to be like coaches, not players. The church “belongs” to the brothers, not to the apostles.

    3. Parasites on the church. Apostles do have the right to support, but ought to be able and willing to work secularly if need be.

    4. Apostles who peddle the Word of God, charging for their services.

    What the church does need is for you to:

    1. Pray for God to raise up modern day apostles of the church who will plant Biblical house churches, Matthew 9:37-38. [Elders of a city locality.]

    2. Pray for those who are already doing evangelistic work, Ephesians 6:19-20, Colossians 4:2-4.

    3. Give to support full time apostles (and evangelists), 1 Corinthians 9:14.

    4. Be open to the ministry and input of apostles. The influence of itinerant church workers can keep a house church from becoming ingrown. Isolated groups can easily lose sight of God’s desire for the church to evangelize and reach out to the lost. [Houses initially but the goal is an Elder of a locality which is the NT pattern.]

    — Steve Atkerson
    Revised 10/08/08

    Notes

    1 (New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Brown, Vol. 1, 126).
    2 (New Bible Dictionary, Davis, 57-60).

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 7 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 7 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Apostles and Elders
    By Faithful in forum Biblocality
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 10-29-2010, 08:37 PM
  2. Informal Apostles are not Formally Trained
    By Churchwork in forum Biblocality
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 08-09-2006, 04:06 PM
  3. Waiting for 12 Informal Apostles - simplicity of truth
    By Churchwork in forum OSAS Arminian
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 01-20-2006, 01:12 PM
  4. Women Apostles and Elders
    By Churchwork in forum Biblocality
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 01-07-2006, 09:34 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •