| Apostolic Dimension | ||
| World Harvest Church > About Us > Vision |
||
| The awareness of being sent gives Christians an apostolic dimension. • This awareness produced in the heart of the original apostles a strong sense of destiny and focus though they were confronted with fierce persecutions. They went out boldly to fulfill the Great Commission. 1. A mission beyond church boundary To be an apostolic people revolves around the concept of being sent by God. • 'Apostle', apostolos, means a delegate or an ambassador, used by the Greeks and Romans to describe envoys who were sent out to expand their empires. • An apostolic people have the mission of taking the world into the Church. a. The Great Commission is apostolic Christ gave the Church the mission of making disciples in the whole world. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen (Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV). • 'Go and make disciples of all the nations' was said in Greek as a command. This command of Christ for the original apostles and the Church was to go all over the world and make disciples. • This command is commonly called the Great Commission. A 'commission' is the matter or task authorized by someone with high authority. It is a mandate, an authoritative order, which must be carried out. And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15 NKJV). • This commission is great because it has the highest authorization, the widest coverage, and the most powerful authentication. It was directly given to the original apostles but indirectly given to the Church. b. The worldwide Church is apostolic Since the Great Commission is apostolic, the Church is apostolic in its existence. • A local church with an apostolic dimension will have a foreign policy to minister to people beyond its membership and locality. This awareness takes the limits off that church to go beyond its existential boundaries to reach its community, its nation, and the world. • The awareness of the apostolic dimension also motivates every member to reach all the people around them and in all places, even in foreign lands, to bring them into the Church. c. The empowering of the Holy Spirit is apostolic The empowering of the Holy Spirit is essentially given for the Church to operate in the apostolic dimension. So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:21-22 NKJV). • Christ compared His sending of the original apostles to Himself being sent by the Father and being anointed or empowered by the Holy Spirit. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8 NKJV). • The empowering of the Holy Spirit was given to the original apostles to take the world, beginning from Jerusalem. • Christians with an apostolic dimension in their understandings will reach out to all places and demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit to cause breakthrough in the spiritual realm, to release people from the control of the devil, and to bring them together into the Church. • They will release the power of the Holy Spirit, crashing on earthly afflictions and replacing with salvation, restoration, renewal, healing, deliverance, and God's providence. 2. A networking of reaching the world A church with an apostolic dimension recognizes apostles and works with them in pioneering God's things and confronting demonic activities to take the world. a. Give recognition to the apostolic office Apostolic people recognize apostles are officers of the Church, called to lead local churches and Christians to operate in the apostolic dimension. For it is written in the Book of Psalms: 'Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it'; and, 'Let another take his office' (Acts 1:20 NKJV). • Judas Iscariot forfeited his apostolic appointment but that apostolic office was to be replaced by another person. Like the executive office of the president in a nation is to be filled from term to term. God intended the apostolic office to be a perpetual office throughout the Church age (see Ephesians 4:11-16). • Officers are executives given the authority to execute commissions. Apostles are sent by God and are given the executive authority to establish Christians and local churches. By respecting apostles, seeking their godly counsel, coming under their mentoring, and partaking of their anointing, you and your church will operate in the apostolic dimension. b. Operate with apostles in doing new things The apostolic anointing is beneficial to churches and spiritual ministries, especially at the pioneering stage. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:28 NKJV). • God has 'appointed' the apostles. No believer can go beyond the 'measure' of spiritual gift given to him and assume the role of an apostle (see also Ephesians 4:7, 11; 2 Corinthians 10:14). • 'First', proton, means first in time, place, order or importance. The apostolic office is first in the pioneering of the Church. • The Church was first started through the original apostles. They went beyond the holy city to Judea, Samaria, and many major Roman cities. Apostles are the first ones to go into a geographic region to preach the gospel and to establish churches. They are the first to preach certain revelations that God is releasing to the Church. The apostolic office is first in the spiritual ranks of the Church. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward (Matthew 10:41 NKJV). • Recognizing apostles as God's first rank spiritual officers and networking with them is flowing with, tapping into, or sharing of their anointing to operate at the spiritual frontier. For so the Lord has commanded us: 'I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth' (Acts 13:47 NKJV). • Receiving and networking with apostles put churches to operate in the anointing of bringing 'salvation to the ends of the earth'. c. Operate with apostles in attacking demonic realm Evil spirits recognize the spiritual rank of apostles. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20 NKJV). • Apostles are spiritual diplomats operating at a rank that is high enough to speak on behalf of God. Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases (Luke 9:1 NKJV). • They have received their commission from heaven and are going forth with full authority and power against the realm of demons. To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places (Ephesians 3:10 NKJV). • Apostles operate from a high position, leading the Church to declare the Word of God into the spiritual realm. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12 NKJV). • All four ranks of demons must acknowledge the authority of apostles. No demon can avoid or overcome the apostolic authority. • The apostolic anointing benefits local churches and ministries to advance at the spiritual frontier. |
||