Apostolic Foundations

Full Gospel Topics:

Apostles Teaching

Then: The 1^st Church Plant

Acts 2

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Rather than define or expound upon the apostles teaching just yet, I will only say that it is foundational. Evangelists preach the good news. Teachers or Teacher/Pastors can come later and help Jesus open the scriptures to the sheep. I will also say that the Apostle’s teaching is organizational, structural, operational, actionable, and replicable. Paul’s churches were predicable similar. Paul’s churches sprouted up in a vacuum apart from Peters’, but then somehow were one faith all along. What is at the root of Paul’s teaching, even though he received it separately from Peter’s above? What makes it Apostolic?

Jeremiah 33 25 This is what the LORD says: 'If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed laws of heaven and earth…

1 Corinthians 11:14

Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him,

Paul was carried along by the Spirit as he wrote according to his understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures in light of the nature of things according to the fixed laws of heaven and earth contained therein.

Galatians 1:11-13

¹¹ I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. ¹² I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:15-17 (NIV)

Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Scripture can no longer be added to or taken away from, so our scriptural foundation has been laid. However, making disciples of all nations will take some real skill in terms of performing all of the other duties and aspects of modern-day apostleship that will be required to complete that assignment. How do we identify, equip, send, and support them?

Now: Recent History

From the 40’s - 60’s, the Latter Rain Movement in Canada prophesied that God would restore the 5 fold ministry, including Prophets and Apostles. In 2012, some churches, like the one I attend, have a Prophetic community. There is extant literature and training opportunities for those interested in learning more about their prophetic gifting.

But what about Apostles? Where are they? Who are they? What do they do? 80 years later, most in the “New Apostolic Reformation” can not answer these basic questions. Could this be why we cannot sustain miracle healing and revival?

Evangelist Steve Hill brought thousands to the Brownsville revival in Florida in the 90’s. Everyone (Pentecostals, Charismatics, Vineyard – everyone I talked to) agreed that this was a legitimate revival of the Spirit bringing true repentance. But where are those thousands now? They do not all still go to church there. Neither are they plugged in to any kind of cell/home church structure that they brought that revival back to their home-towns.

Structure

Structure has been an interest of mine since I planted some cell churches in the late 90’s. Since then, I’ve heard of some other groups with similar style and vision, so I list them below as great examples of bringing structure to a movement.

Folds*

1 fold – Teacher-driven and knowledge-focused.
2 fold - Evangelists invite unchurched to come hear the teacher.
3 fold - Ministry time offered by Pastors to meet felt needs or congregants.
4 fold – Prophets available to go beyond felt needs.
5 fold – Apostles laying structural foundation of the church.

Model

Cell – no church buildings.
20/20 – Both cell and Buildings (Acts 20:20)
Church Building – also sometimes with groups that meet in homes, but the groups that meet in homes are not expected to replicate.

Curriculum

Statement of Faith/Articles
Specialized Curriculum for certain cases/ministries/small groups.

i. SOZO - Curriculum for Healing Training Classes provided at cost by Bethel.

ii. www.thisgospel.com – Geared at the unreached. Provides a ground-up foundation from never heard of Christ, to planting a Church movement.

iii. www.thisgospel.info – Curriculum for Miracle Healing Outreaches/ Training Classes.

Methods

Miracle Healing Outreaches
Treasure Hunts

Liturgy –

IHOP – Explores such a wide variety of styles of prayer/worship because they set aside so much time for it.
Prophetic Praise – Weaves prophecy, prophetic teaching, and other spontaneous liturgical elements into Praise service.
Prophetic Teaching – Andrew Wommack – does not prepare sermons.

Training

Built-in – Sunday school, for example, can be used to progress through curriculum that certifies lay clergy for various ministry capacities.
Bible College – Not always required, also can be offered online.
Publications – from Support Newsletters or Blogs to Denominational Heralds.

How would you integrate and streamline these elements into as cost-effective a church-planting model as possible? You will see above there is already considerable overlap between them. However, you will also find that every move of God, denomination, or non-denomination has these elements. It has been, is, and always will be the decision of each group to be as organized and deliberate, or as disorderly as they choose to be in implementing them.

Foundation

1) Christ à Apostles à Prophets à God’s House

a) Ephesians 2:19-21 (NIV) 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

2) Built on Unreached, not churched

a) Romans 15:20
It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.
Romans 15:19-21 (in Context) Romans 15 (Whole Chapter)

3) Apostles lay and build foundation

a) 1 Corinthians 3:10
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.
1 Corinthians 3:9-11 (in Context) 1 Corinthians 3 (Whole Chapter)

4) 5 fold Ministry

a) Rank/Order –

i) 1 Corinthians 12:28
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

b) 5 folds

i) Ephesians 4:11 (KJV) ¹¹And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

*Ephesians 4:11 (KJV)

11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:13Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: 14That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.