Fire On Your Head

Apostolic definably seems to be a subject of consideration and criticism as of late in the Body of Christ. In some Christian circles it is rejected, thought  to have “died out” with the last of the 12 apostles, and in other circles the apostle is the metonym motivational speaker and therefore deemed the new “conference” superstar. With all that is being taught about apostles today, specifically in Charismatic circles, my pastor, Greg Tankersley, has written this article with a view of finding and identifying the purpose or production of the apostolic, which is the equipping of the Body of Christ.

I have been wondering what the term “Apostolic” really means in our day and time.  I hear many in the Body of Christ talking about the subject.  Some are even getting together, appointing each other as Apostles, and having conferences where they gather with others like themselves, and primarily minister to each other.  They are using the titles in their names as though they are deriving their identity from the term.  Some of this is concerning to me.

As far as I can tell, the term “Apostle” came from Rome. As they conquered new regions, they would send an “Apostle” to that region to change the culture from what it once was, to “Roman Culture.”

I believe that the mark of the Apostolic in our day and time is the intrinsic desire to be spiritual fathers and raise a generation that will go and change the culture.  Isn’t that what the true goal is, even when fathering our natural children?  We want to raise children that will grow up and then go out to change the world.

A week or two before I started to ponder all of this, I was at a prayer time at our Capitol.  Out of nowhere I started to see a picture of the battle line between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness.  As I looked, I saw that all of our prayers were advancing the Kingdom of God,  but then the line would drift back to the same place that it was before.  It didn’t seem to be gaining ground for very long before being pushed back to the same place.

I saw that there was a need for the “Apostolic and Prophetic” ministries to come and “slam down” a Godly structure to hold that line from drifting backward.

Ephesians 4 says that we are being built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets.  The word “foundation” there is a derivative of the word “tithemi “,and means:  ”something put down, i.e. a substruction (of a building, etc.)”

I saw the need for the Apostolic and Prophetic ministries to partner with the local church to “slam down” or establish those Godly structures.  Just having conferences and speaking into one another’s ministries is leaving the local church behind.

A few weeks later,  as I came home from another prayer time at the Capitol, I believe the Lord gave me the blueprint for the Godly structure.

I saw what looked like a river with people flowing along in it.  As I looked, it reminded me of times when I had been prayed for in a “fire line”; people lined up on each side, and those being prayed for walking between the two lines.

As people went along in the river; there were those on the side of the river that were pouring ministry into the ones going through.  I saw that they represented the five gifts to the church that are mentioned in Ephesians 4.

As the people went through the river, it opened up a little farther down stream and got bigger.  The shape reminded me of a trumpet; the way it got wider and fanned out.

I realized that what I was seeing was an Equipping Center.  As the people came through, they were equipped, then they fanned out into the region and changed the culture.   I saw the Apostles and Prophets going into different cities and regions to establish these Equipping Centers.

I saw these things as I was driving home from prayer, so I decided to pull off the road and draw a diagram of what I was seeing.  As I did, I realized that the Apostle and Prophet were the “Foundational” part of the structure. They would travel from place to place establishing the Godly Structures, and then check back to make sure they were doing OK, thus overseeing the work.

I saw the Evangelist as the “Motivational” part of the structure.  He too would travel to each structure, encouraging and motivating them to reach out to the lost, and keeping them fired up in the things of God.

I saw that the Pastors and Teachers would stay at each Godly Structure to love on the people and make sure they were ok.  Their role in the structure was to get the people grounded in the Scriptures,  learn who they are in Christ,  develop Godly Character,  determine their gifts  and calling, cultivate an intimate walk the Lord, and learn to walk in authority and power in the Kingdom of God;  in general, to make them dangerous to the kingdom of darkness.

If there has ever been a time in history that our culture needs to be changed, it is now.  When you look at the things that are plaguing our society, the statistics on those things are the same in the church as they are in the world.  It doesn’t take 20/20 vision to see that the way we have been doing things is not working very well.  I know that there are a lot of good churches out there doing a lot of good things, and I am grateful for that.  I am just saying that maybe we should take additional steps in order to effect lasting change in our culture, and in the lives of those the Lord wants so desperately to love and minister to.

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[This article is just one angle that probes into the meaning and understanding of a vast subject that God is shedding more and more light on as the days go by, and as we dare to consider and long for such mysteries to be unveiled, even in our generation. The above article is Greg's own journey and personal discovery in such a search that looks even deeper than the meaning, which is reaching into the heart of the matter, and the way God spoke to him about it. I hope this perspective adds to the one you have and opens the door for further apostolic enlightenment. Thanks-Dave!]

Other articles on the subject of the Apostolic and Apostles:

Reclaiming the Genuine Apostolic Anointing, by J. Lee Grady

True and False Apostles, by Bryan Purtle

Apostolic Essence, Prophetic Essence, by David Edwards

Fire On Your Head Podcast: Are Apostles For Today?

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