Apostolic Chruches (12-10-05)

APOSTOLIC CHURCHES

I.                   The role of the apostle is to get all the truth in—and all the truth out of you!

A.     The apostolic restores not only the truths of the Word of God, but also every historical move of God

1.     What we think is apostolic may not be what God thinks is apostolic.

2.     The Church should embrace every movement by which God restored truth to His people.

3.     We cannot camp at any one doctrine and believe we’ve arrived or have all truth.

4.     To be truly prophetic and apostolic, you have to be in union with all that God has done and will do in the future.

B.      Heb. 6:1-3

II.                What is an apostolic ministry like?

A.     The church or ministry that has one main teaching cannot be apostolic.

B.      It can be a prophetic, pastoral, evangelistic or teaching ministry, but in order to be apostolic they must adhere to the principle that we accept the totality of God’s restored truths.

1.     The apostolic will hold and teach all revealed truth, not holding to only one main doctrine.

2.     2 Tim. 3:16,17

III.             Apostolic structure and governmental issues.

A.   An apostolic church has a set one who is a strong, dominant leader and the vision bearing force of that church.

B.    Ideally an apostolic church will have a plurality of elders.

C.   It should have functioning deacons.

D.   The five-fold ministry would either relate to this church or be raised up in the church, and is recognized by plurality of elders.

E.    Some elders are for the house, and some are to be sent out to expand the vision and mission of the house.

F.    (None of these identifiers distinguish between gender)

IV.            Traits of an Apostolic Church

A.     An apostolic church is a growing church, in quality and quantity.

B.      It is a prophetic church.

C.     It is an evangelistic church.

D.     It provides pastoral care and counsel.

E.      It is teaching center.

V.               Two models of Apostolic churches.  Jerusalem & Antioch.

A.     Every church’s primary ministry is to their neighborhood or city.

B.      Secondly, it is to their area, then to their state.

C.     To their nation.

D.     To the nations and uttermost parts of the earth.

E.      Acts 1:8