Charles
Elliott Newbold, Jr. - www.charlesnewbold.org
Apostolic Empowerment
Sets forth some criteria
for discerning true contemporary apostles. A portion from an ongoing work
entitled “A Habitation for Yahveh”
Now therefore
you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of
the apostles and prophets, Yeshua
fn
{1} (Jesus) Messiah Himself being the
chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together grows
unto a holy temple in the Lord: In whom you also are built together for an
habitation of God through the Spirit. Eph. 2:19-22.
The time has come when the administration of men must come to an end so that the administration of
Yahveh
fn
{2} can be set in.
The administration of Yahveh in
building His spiritual habitation (us) involves the activities of His
fivefold, ascension gift servants of apostles, prophets, evangelists,
shepherds and teachers. Eph. 4:11. (Others have gifts for the body as
mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:28 such as miracles, gifts of healings,
helps, governments, and diversities of tongues.)
These ascension gift servants
perform functions in the body of Messiah
fn
{3}
under the leadership of the Holy Spirit who is building this spiritual
habitation for Yahveh. When that building is complete (a time known only
to the Father), the functions of these servants will no longer be needed.
They exist “until we come to 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 Messiah.” Eph. 4:13. We have not come to that unity as
yet. Until then, these servants along with the prophets and others are
absolutely essential.
While these are distinctive
functions in the body of Messiah, any one person may flow in them as the
Holy Spirit has need of them. Apostles are elders who teach. Elders teach,
but not all teachers are elders. Anyone can prophesy and should desire to
do so, but not all who prophesy are prophets; yet, most people who are
prophets will prophesy.
A Spiritual Habitation
The Holy Spirit is building a
spiritual habitation for Yahveh’s own dwelling. We are that habitation.
Yeshua is the cornerstone of that habitation. It is essential that
this habitation be built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets.
Eph. 2:20. If we try to build upon any other foundation, we will be
building something for Self. It will not stand.
This habitation is not a physical
building, denomination, program, polity of church government, or system of
any kind. It is a people who are being built up into a spiritual
habitation for Yahveh that He is building Himself. “Except the LORD builds
the house, they labor in vain who build it.” Ps. 127:1.
The Blueprint, Pattern
Yeshua is the chief cornerstone of
this building. Moreover, He is the pattern Son, the blueprint. When this
habitation is complete, we who are that habitation will look like Him. We
are being perfected until we come to that fullness of Messiah. Eph.
4:12-13.
We never want to forget that this is
the only habitation Yahveh is interested in building. We are His
habitation and the members of His household.
Think of Ephesians 2:19-22 (quoted
at the beginning of this writing) as a plumb line by which we determine
the correctness of what we do in His name. If what we are doing does not
line up with these verses, it is not in keeping with what He is doing.
Foundation Of Apostles And Prophets
The word “apostle” is from the Greek
(apostolos) and is the combination of
two words 
(apo) and
(stello). The word
means “from, out, out of.” The word
means “to send.” Combined, they mean, “sent-out-one” or
“one sent forth.”
The purpose of true apostles and
prophets is to establish a good, healthy, and functional environment in
Father’s household.
Traditional churches are not built
upon the foundation of apostles and prophets; moreover, most of them
reject the idea that apostles and prophets are for today. Consequently,
these churches more likely model a dysfunctional family; that is to say,
they don’t work and won’t work the way the body of Messiah is supposed to
work.
Churches and denominations are built
upon the traditions of men, doctrines, revelations, creeds, and by-laws.
Some churches have been started because a man or a woman aspired to have
their own “pastorate.” Though many of these appear to have been inspired
by the Holy Spirit in the beginning, their “works” always have been, are
now, and ever shall be faulty. They will never be made to work. They need
to be abandoned to allow the Holy Spirit to build anew upon His
foundation.
Yahveh has an order for everything
in His household. The family of Yahveh functions in a healthy, edifying
manner when we function according to His order. His empowerment is upon us
and His blessings flow out to us from His throne. His order is the only
order that brings order into His house and into our lives. It is the only
order that works.
Part of Yahveh’s order for His
family is clearly set forth in Ephesians 2:19-22, quoted on page 1. The
family of Yahveh is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets
with Yeshua Messiah as the cornerstone. According to 1 Corinthians
12:28, Yahveh appointed the apostles first and prophets second. Yahveh’s
household cannot be built upon any other foundation.
The Holy Spirit reveals the
blueprint, Yeshua, to His apostles so that they might build up Yahveh’s
house. Therefore, the apostolic influence in one way or another is needful
in every fellowship of the Holy Spirit if it is to be in functional order.
The foundation of apostles and
prophets is the presence and activity of apostles and prophets as they are
recognized and received in the body of Messiah. It is nothing more
complicated than that. They are either recognized or not. They either
function or not. If they are present, the foundation is present. If they
are absent, the foundation is absent.
The foundation has to do with what
the Holy Spirit began through the word and work of the apostles and
prophets among the called-out-ones in the first century as well as now.
Present day apostles and prophets continue to build upon this foundation
that was laid then.
The original twelve were not the
only apostles. Scripture cites Matthias who replaced Judas in Acts
1:23,26; Barnabas and Paul in Acts 14:14; Andronicus and Junius in Romans
16:7; two unnamed brothers in 2 Corinthians 8:23; Epaphroditus in
Philippians 2:25; and Silas and Timothy in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 and 2:6.
False apostles are found in 2 Corinthians 11:13. The Lord Yeshua
complimented the called-out-ones in Ephesus because they tried those who
said they were apostles and were not, but found them liars. Rev. 2:2.
Apostolic Empowerment
It is said that Yahveh anoints what
He appoints, that He empowers what He inspires. Yeshua has appointed
some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some shepherds
(elders, overseers), and teachers. Eph. 4:11. These are not positions or
offices in the body of Messiah, but are functions. (The KJV added the term
“office” in several places, but the word does not appear in the original
Greek.) Yahveh gives a unique empowerment for each of these callings in
order for them to function. We cannot function without the unction.
Each one of us has a calling from
Yahveh to serve His household in some way and has been given sufficient
empowerment to do so. 1 Peter 4:10 confirms, “As every man has received
the gift, even so minister (be a servant) the same one to another, as good
stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
This empowerment is the very life of
Yeshua upon us through the Holy Spirit as His body on the earth. The
apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, or teacher is such because of who
he is in Messiah and not because of what he does. The man is the ministry
and the ministry is the man.
He who has the call of an apostle
will have the empowerment to function as such as the Holy Spirit leads.
Apostolic Confirmation
The true apostle is set apart by the
Holy Spirit and confirmed by others.
Yeshua stands alone as The Apostle
(sent-one) from Yahveh. He is the Apostle and High Priest of our
confession. Heb. 3:1.
Yeshua chose twelve from among His
disciples and named them apostles. Luke 6:13. Mark says He ordained
(appointed) twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send
them forth to preach. Mark 6:13. These are called the twelve apostles of
the Lamb in Revelation 21:14. (Matthias replaced Judas according to Acts
1:26.) The twelve were called forth by Yeshua to follow Him. They are
distinguished from all other apostles who follow.
Other apostles in the New Testament
had different confirmation experiences. Barnabas had already been “sent
out” (apostolos) by the called-out-ones in Jerusalem to go as far as
Antioch. Acts. 12:3. Later on, we find Barnabas and Saul (Paul) among the
prophets and teachers in Antioch who were ministering to the Lord and
fasting when the Holy Spirit said, “Separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for
the work to which I have called them.” After they fasted and prayed, the
others laid hands on them and sent them away. Thus, they were sent out by
the Holy Spirit and confirmed by the prophets and teachers in their
company. Acts 13:1-3.
He who does the work of a
sent-out-one can expect the confirmation of others.
Apostolic Field
Paul explained to the Corinthian
believers that apostles were laborers together with Yahveh and that they
(the called-out-ones) were Yahveh’s husbandry (or cultivated field),
Yahveh’s building. 1 Cor. 3:9.
A field is where one is “sent out”
by the Holy Spirit to plant the word of the gospel into the soil of human
souls. The field is human souls and the fellowship that grows out of their
relationships.
The word of God is the seed of God.
The apostle goes forth sowing the word (seed) of Yahveh. He goes, he
plants, he returns as often as needed to cultivate that field. It is his
field because the Holy Spirit has sent him.
The apostle may go out to a group or
a gathering of people upon their invitation, but unless they recognize him
as an apostle sent to them by Yahveh, he is always subject to their
invitation. Consequently, such places are not his field. To try to plant a
field upon the invitation of a host in that field rather than upon the
commission of the Holy Spirit, will only lead to frustration and
confusion. It would be like building upon another man’s foundation. Rom.
15:20.
The apostle does not solicit groups
that are already in existence as charms to be added to his charm bracelet
of ministry. However, if a previously gathered people desire the influence
of the apostolic and believe that God has sent a particular person to
them, then that group can yield themselves to him as that field of
apostolic endeavor.
The gathering place is one where he
has the liberty to come and go as he is led. He does not have to wait to
be invited back by those who reside in that field. Even though these
gathering places may be in someone’s home, the field is still that to
which he has been sent. It is not that of the host nor the elders who
might emerge from within that field. Though this may be his field in that
the Holy Spirit sent him, he does not in any sense of the word own or
control the souls. They belong only the Messiah. His job is to grow them
up into Messiah.
The apostle should be recognized as
a sent-out-one in his home gathering but is not the sent-out-one to his
home gathering. He can be an elder in his home gathering, but His home
gathering would be the apostolic field of another. It would be a conflict
of interest for him to be a “sent-out-one” to himself. Additionally, he
would be too subjectively involved. He is an apostle only to whom he is
sent.
The apostle is an elder in the body
of Messiah at large, but does not appoint himself to be an elder among
those to whom he has been sent.
The Need And The Call
The apostle wants to make sure that
his field of labor is the one the Holy Spirit has called him to and not
one of his own choosing. He can look all around him and see that the
“fields are white with harvest,” but it is the Lord of the harvest who
assigns the fields.
Paul and his new companion, Timothy,
were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. They tried
to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit that either. The need
for the word to be heard in either of these “fields” was as great as in
any other, but it was not the Holy Spirit’s agenda for them to go into
Asia. Paul later had his Macedonia vision and concluded that the Lord had
called them to preach the gospel there. Acts 16:6-10.
The apostle, therefore, knows full
well that the need does not constitute the call. To respond to a need to
which one has not been called is the blueprint for disaster.
Apostolic Impartation
The whole idea of the five equipping
gift empowerments of Ephesians 4 is to provide fullness in service to the
body of Messiah. Each one plays an essential role in this building
process.
This is why the one-man-show Pastor
arrangement is wrong. No one man was intended to be all of the gifts to a
group of people. Yet, this is often expected of him in the traditional
church situations. In the more affluent churches, associate pastors are
hired to fill these various “positions.” The qualifications for such team
“ministries” cannot be satisfied with impressive degrees and résumés.
These professionals are hired to run programs, not to impart spiritual
gifts.
Apostles are given to impart the
apostolic gifting to the saints that they might be an apostolic (sent-out)
people. The prophet is given to impart the prophetic gifting to the saints
that they might be a prophetic people. The evangelist is given to impart
the evangelistic gifting to the saints that they might be an evangelistic
people. So is it with shepherds and teachers. They equip the saints for
the work of service.
The apostolic came first. Luke 9
tells us that Yeshua sent the twelve out on an apostolic mission,
supposedly as part of their preparation for the full empowerment that was
to come after His ascension. It does not tell us that they went in any
configuration. Luke does tell us in Chapter 10 that Yeshua sent the
seventy out two by two to do essentially the same things He charged the
twelve to do. This raises an interesting question. If those seventy were
sent out to do the same work as the original twelve, were they also
apostles? If so, they exemplify what it means to be nameless and faceless
in our service to the Lamb.
Acts 13 tells us that Paul and
Barnabas were sent out together from Antioch and remained together until
they disagreed over John Mark. Acts 15:37-39. After that, Silas joined
Paul for many of his apostolic visits. Silas was known to be a prophet.
Acts 15:32. Paul had teams going with him, coming to him, and going out
from him. He often sent instructions for different ones to do things for
him. So far as we can look to Paul for example, he had authority in those
assemblies he birthed by the Spirit.
Nevertheless, we cannot make a form
or a formula out of Paul’s experience, but we are in all things to be
obedient to the Holy Spirit who will lead us into our experience. Yet, if
our experience exemplifies a pattern that is not found in scripture, it
should make us suspect. The Spirit and the Word agree.
Apostolic Authority
True apostles have divine authority.
This authority is from Yeshua who commissions them. Yeshua met with
the eleven apostles after His resurrection and before His ascension and
declared to them that all authority had been given to Him in heaven and in
earth. Therefore, He commissioned them to go out in the authority that He
had been given. They were to teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever He had commanded them with the promise that
He would be with them always, even unto the end of the world. Matt.
28:16-20. This has been called the great commission. It is an apostolic
commission not only because it was given to the apostles, but because it
is charged with the word “go.” Apostles are “sent-out-ones.”
The apostles were given power and
authority over all devils, to cure diseases, preach the kingdom of Yahveh,
and heal the sick. Luke 9:1-2.
The apostles were given power to
tread upon serpents and scorpions (symbols of demons), and over all the
power of the enemy with the promise that nothing by any means would hurt
them. Luke 10:19.
The apostles were given the keys of
the kingdom of heaven that they might know what heaven is doing, so that
they can bind and loose on earth according to what is already bound and
loosed in heaven. Matt. 16:19.
The apostles were given the
authority to remit or retain sins. John 20:23.
The apostles were given ability to
teach with the authority of Yeshua. “For He taught them as one having
authority, and not as the scribes.” Matt. 7:29.
What was given to apostles then is
given to apostles today because the work is the same and the same power is
needed to accomplish the work.
Receiving The Gift
Members of the body of Messiah who
hope to be fitly joined together, growing into a holy temple in Yeshua
must of necessity recognize these gifts from Yeshua and receive the
anointing that is upon these gifts. This principle is explained in Matthew
10:41: “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a
prophet’s reward.” That is to say, we will not receive the benefits of
Messiah’s gifts in one another if we fail to recognize and receive them.
As we listen to and obey the Holy
Spirit, He will bring to us those whom He has chosen as His sent-out-one(s).
We cannot appoint our own apostles or prophets. We have to wait on Yahveh
to send them. Our part is to acknowledge and receive those who are proven
to be true Holy-Spirit-sent apostles. We do not have to receive just
anyone who says he is an apostle. The one who has to announce himself
generally disqualifies himself.
Apostles who have been sent by the
Holy Spirit will have the anointing, the knowledge, the wisdom,
understanding, patience, and compassion to build up the saints according
to the pattern which is a living reality in them.
The following apostolic kinds of
things happen when the true apostle is released by the Holy Spirit and
received by believers.
The Things That Remain
True apostles set in order the
things that remain, that are left wanting. These were the instructions
that Paul gave to Titus. “For this cause left I you in Crete, that you
should set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in
every city, as I had appointed you.” Titus 1:5.
That some things remained to be done
tells us that some things had already been done. The cornerstone had
already been laid and He is Yeshua. We cannot lay another. The
foundation has already been laid and they are apostles and prophets. No
other foundation will work. Through the continual ministry of apostles and
prophets, this original foundation has some building upon that still
remains to be done. Apostles don’t change the foundation or build a new
and different one. They build upon the one that has already been laid.
Things have not been in proper order
in the body of Messiah. The harlot system of men’s traditions must come to
a complete end. We must stop building buildings, ministries, and churches
for men and turn our attention to building up the saints into that one
spiritual habitation for Yahveh. Be cautious of those who call themselves
apostles then fabricate little “ministry” kingdoms for themselves.
Much remains and true apostles are
the only ones who have the calling and vision for building us up into that
spiritual habitation. They set in order what remains.
Appoints Elders
True apostles appoint elders.
Apostles appoint elders to shepherd
(pastor), the flock among whom Yahveh has made them overseers (bishops).
Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5.
The terms elder, shepherd, and
overseer refer to the same person in the New Testament. Acts 20:17-28; 1
Pet. 5:1-2. Apostles, being sent-out-ones, are trans-local while the
elders are local. That is, an apostle may go to an area for a season to
teach and build up the saints.
The apostles’ job is to turn the
saint’s dependence totally upon the Lord, virtually working himself out of
a job. The apostle is an elder who imparts the function of shepherding to
the local elders he has appointed (though he himself does not “pastor” the
people whether he is among them or long distance to them). The more these
elders grow in meeting the demands of their calling, the less the apostle
should be needed. He should be free to go on to new fields of harvest.
He moves on because he has succeeded
in leaving able elders in place. He is not replaced by a succession of
professionals such as we have in most church traditions.
The man who moves in and keeps us
dependent upon him as our spiritual guru is a false apostle. We are
responsible to test apostles. Rev. 2:2.
Reveals Yeshua, The Pattern
True apostles reveal the pattern
Son, Yeshua, and have a flaming passion to see Him formed in us. Gal.
4:19.
Apostles have been with Yeshua to
the point that His nature is being radically formed in them. They are
taking on the life of the Father through the Son, Yeshua. They are no
longer mere men, but are sons coming of age. The Son of Yahveh is at work
in their lives. When we look into their faces, we do not see their faces
but His grace. When we look into their eyes, we do not see their eyes, but
His compassion. When we hear their words, we do not hear their words, but
receive the Life of the One who is speaking through him. Apostles do not
just tell about Yeshua; they demonstrate Him. They do not seek to make
their own presence felt, but to usher in His presence. They do not seek to
make themselves famous, but to make Him famous. They do not care to call
attention to themselves, but to focus entirely upon Him. They do not go
after the desires of their own hearts, but seek to reveal the Father’s
heart.
Builds By The Spirit
True apostles build according to the
blueprint of the glorified Yeshua that the Holy Spirit has laid before
them through revelation.
Apostles as well as all of the
saints are both co-laborers with the Holy Spirit and the habitation that
He is building. We do what we see the Holy Spirit doing because He is
doing what He sees the Son doing who is doing what He sees the Father
doing. There is no way under heaven that we can build this habitation
apart from the Holy Spirit. Any attempt to build or participate in this
building process out of our own imaginations and self-strength will
definitely be works of the flesh. He does not need our plans,
organizations, associations, and alliances to build this habitation for
Him.
All He needs from us is to cooperate
with the Holy Spirit. We cannot, we do not see the eternal glorified
blueprint from this earthly perspective. All we can see is what He chooses
from day to day to reveal to us. He will rarely show us more than our
little part in this process. Therefore, all we ever need to know is what
we are supposed to do today. As we are obedient in “doing” that, He will
see to it that all the parts come together in the end. We walk by faith,
not sight. 2 Cor. 5:7.
Builds Up In Agape (Love)
True apostles build up the saints in
agape (love) one for the other in order to undergird and uphold one
another. Agape is that Yahveh kind of love where one is willing to lay
down his life for what is in the better interest of another. The first and
greatest commandment is summed up in this word agape. You shall “agape”
the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. Mark.
12:30. That is, we are to lay down our own agendas so that the will and
purposes of Yahveh might be accomplished. The second commandment is like
the first. You shall “agape” your neighbor as yourself. Mark 12:31. That
is, we are to lay down our own agendas for what is in the best interest of
others. No other commandment supercedes these two. If what we are building
is for Self and does not have this kind of love operating from the core of
our relationships, it will perish.
Yeshua went about healing the
sick, giving sight to the blind, causing the lame to walk, raising the
dead, and commanding them to love (agape) Yahveh and one another. All that
He did, He did out of His love for people. All that we do in His name is
done out of love.
The apostolic empowerment equips us,
along with the other ascension gift empowerments, to continue the service
of agape on earth. “By this shall all men know that you are My disciples,
if you have love one to another.” John 13:35.
Establishes Them In Fellowship
True apostles establish the saints
in fellowship with Messiah and one another. The Holy Spirit relates us to
others in family groups that I like to call communion groups. Communion is
translated from the Greek word koinonia that means communion,
fellowship, sharing, participation, and communication. These terms
describe how we are to be in relationship with one another in the body of
Messiah. He puts us in these communion groups that we might build one
another up into that habitation for Yahveh.
Our fellowship with the Father and
with one another is relationship-based rather than program-based or
meeting-based. Our relationships have to do with who we are with one
another all the time and not just what we do together once or twice a
week. We are in relationship one with another as a spiritual family.
Disciples The Converts
True apostles teach the saints how
to disciple the converts of Messiah. The first apostles were taught by the
Lord and were to go teach others, who were to go teach others, who were to
go teach others, and so forth until the end of the age. If the great
commission is still for today, then so is the apostolic empowerment.
Apostles teach the saints to observe
all that Yeshua did. “Observe” in Greek is
{tereo}. It means to keep, reserve, watch, preserve –
like keeping the Ten Commandments. We are to do all that He commanded us
to do. We do according to who we are. We are the sons of Yahveh, having
been born of the Spirit and filled with the Spirit, patterned after the
Son of Yahveh, Yeshua Messiah.
Apostles make disciples of Yeshua
Messiah and not of themselves or of their particular movement. Traditional
churches tend to make disciples unto themselves. People are baptized in
the name of Jesus or in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but
the baptisms are often initiations into their brand of faith and practice.
They attempt to conform people into their image rather than allowing the
Holy Spirit to conform people into the image of Yeshua.
Patterns Servanthood
True apostles serve people and
pattern servanthood.
The true meaning for ministry is
“service” but has become corrupt in its meaning by how the church/clergy
system has viewed, used, and abused it. He who ministers is He who serves
and not one who seeks to be served. He is not venerated and given special
status.
True sent-out-ones serve the
called-out-ones. They do not serve those Things we call churches. They do
not build up organizations, databases, memberships, financial
partnerships, or do anything for Self. They build up the saints into
Yeshua.
In Matthew 20:25-28, Yeshua
explained servanthood saying, “You know that the princes of the gentiles
exercise dominion over them, and they that are greater exercise authority
upon them, but it shall not be so among you. Whoever will be great among
you, let him be your minister [servant], and whoever will be chief among
you, let him be your servant. Even so the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Yeshua set the pattern for all of His disciples. He warned that “whoever
exalts himself shall be abased, and He who humbles himself shall be
exalted.” Matt. 23:12.
Servant functions and giftings are
not given for our own edification or to make us look good, but are given
to minister (serve-up) the life of Yeshua to others. We are vessels
through whom He moves in order to do what He wants to do. If one is an
apostle and is led by the Holy Spirit, he will do apostolic kinds of
things. If one is a prophet and led by the Holy Spirit, he will do
prophetic kinds of things; and so it is with the evangelist, pastor, and
teacher. These will always contribute to the building up of the body of
Messiah into a habitation of Yahveh.
The whole body of Messiah is to be
viewed as a loving family, seeking to serve one another. No one ever seeks
to be served or esteems himself above others.
Father To The Children
True apostles are fathers to the
children in the Kingdom of Yahveh..
He fathers those among whom Yahveh
has sent him. The apostle Paul had a strong sense of paternal
responsibility toward those he birthed into the Kingdom, both individually
and as a body of believers. [Study Gal. 4:19; 1 Thess. 2:7,11.] The
apostle John exemplifies this paternal instinct as well. 1 John 2:1,12;
3:7,18.
Authority accompanies
responsibility. Just as fathers have a God-given authority over their
children, so it is with apostles. Apostolic authority is parental, not
positional. To abandon this paternal responsibility/authority is like
giving birth to a baby in the natural and leaving it on someone else’s
doorstep to raise.
The apostle has an on-going
responsibility to nurture the saints onward. He raises the children to
become sons and the sons to become fathers. Elders are fathers, likewise.
Elders are not to be rebuked (chastised, chided, upbraided), but can be
exhorted (spoken to) as a son would a father. 1 Tim. 5:1. The apostle is
an example of a spiritual father to the elders who carry on that role
locally.
A true apostle is willing to let the
children grow up in the Lord. Moreover, he desires to see the children
become greater than he. Nevertheless, his love for and sense of
responsibility to them never wanes. He always has a father’s heart toward
them.
Cross-Pollinates
True apostles cross-pollinate.
Oftentimes, when revelation is
shared and received, it sparks further revelation and insight in other
persons. They, in turn, share what they have been given which is joyfully
received. Revelation breeds revelation. It multiplies.
Apostles hear what the Spirit is
saying to some in the body of Messiah and share that with others. As they
go from place to place in the Spirit of the Lord, they gather the pollen
of revelation that is deposited by the Holy Spirit in order to spread it
abroad. The pollen of truth from one person or fellowship is taken to
another. Truth, as revealed by the Holy Spirit, transforms people who
receive it.
Keeps Babylon Out Of The Process
True apostles keep Babylon out of
the building process.
Babylon is all that the carnal mind
devises. The church systems of men’s traditions are nearly all built upon
this faulty, carnal-mind foundation. If we are not watchful, we
post-church people will re-create the kind of “Thing” we thought we were
coming out of.
Apostles must know the difference
between the works of Babylon and the work of the Holy Spirit. He keeps a
constant vigil to prevent the gathering of the saints from becoming a
Thing or from gathering around “his” ministry. Once a Thing is fashioned,
it soon becomes a golden calf.
Keeping Babylon out of the process
of building up the saints is perhaps the greatest challenge to the
apostolic ministry. The apostle must have Babylon out of himself before he
can keep it out of his service to others.
Guards The Liberty Of The Saints
True apostles liberate the saints.
Leadership under the clergy system
not only makes an unscriptural difference between clergy and the so-called
laity, but is often heavy-handed in its rule over the laity. If that
heavy-handedness does not come from the pastor or priest in charge, it
most likely comes from within the hierarchy of the institution. Much like
the Pharisees, those leaders want to control other people’s lives and lay
heavy burdens upon them that Yahveh has not laid. They put them under the
laws of their own making and bind them to service in their own little
kingdoms. Such leadership is of the wrong spirit.
True apostles will not create
another Thing we call church and bind people to it or to themselves. On
the contrary, the apostle will fight like Paul to keep the saints of
Yahveh free. If any man comes into your love feast and tries to get you
joined, submitted, committed, or covenanted to anyone or anything other
than to Yeshua, he is of the circumcision party
fn
{4}.
He spies out your liberty.
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is liberty.” 2 Cor. 3:17. “If the Son therefore shall make you free,
you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36. “For the letter kills, but the
spirit gives life.” 2 Cor. 3:6. Grace liberates; law enslaves.
The government for New Testament
life is not a form. It is a person – the person of Yeshua Messiah as
Lord. The government is upon His shoulders. Isa. 9:6. He is the governor
and we are His governed ones. The Holy Spirit is the administrator. The
only real pattern for New Testament government is to be led by the Holy
Spirit. This is the only way we can keep the freedom for which Messiah set
us free. He set us free so we could be free for Him.
“It was for freedom that Messiah set
us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a
yoke of slavery.” Gal. 5:1 NAS. “...Only do not turn your freedom into an
opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Gal. 5:13
NAS. “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Gal.
5:18 NAS.
Follows The Lamb
True apostles follow the Lamb
wherever He goes and show the little lambs how to follow the Lamb.
We are able to follow the Lamb as we
learn how to be sensitive to and led by the Holy Spirit. Learning how to
hear from Yahveh and how to be led by the Holy Spirit is the only training
any of us need to fulfill our servant-function or operate in our giftings.
If we are faithful to do what the Holy Spirit is doing through us, we will
operate in our servant-function and gifting.
This is not to say that we cannot
nor need not learn other things, but that the learning of other things is
worthless if we do not know how to be led by His Spirit. We are to always
rely upon the Holy Spirit and not upon our knowledge, intellect, systems,
programs, marketing plans, fundraising programs, and the like.
Prepares The Bride
True apostles prepare the bride for
the forthcoming Bridegroom. They never for a moment think that the bride
belongs to them. Such ownership is characteristic of the Nicolaitans in
the harlot church system who assume the place of the Bridegroom.
True apostles are like the friend in
John 3:29. They know to whom the bride belongs. “He who has the bride is
the Bridegroom.” They are content to stand their distance and rejoice in
the union of bride and Bridegroom. “But the friend of the Bridegroom, who
stands and hears Him, rejoices greatly because of the Bridegroom’s voice:
‘this My joy therefore is fulfilled.’”
Works Signs, Wonders, And Miracles
True apostles perform signs,
wonders, and miracles; thereby, meeting the test of apostolic servanthood.
The apostle Paul admitted that he
was speaking foolishly in trying to defend his apostleship. He defended
himself for the sake of the Corinthian believers and not because he was
ambitious for ministry or position among them. He considered himself
nobody even though he was in no respect inferior to the most eminent
apostles. The Corinthian believers should have been commending Paul.
Nevertheless, his apostleship was proven in that “the signs of a true
apostle were performed among [them] with all perseverance, by signs and
wonders and miracles.” 2 Cor. 12:11-12.
Signs, wonders, and miracles are
such as Yeshua Himself did; namely, healing the sick, giving sight to
the blind, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead. He promised that
whoever believed on Him, the works that He did, would do those works also,
even greater works because He was going unto His Father. John 14:12. The
early apostles and disciples demonstrated these works. Acts 5:12; 6:8;
14:3; Rom. 15:19. Of course, we are warned that false Christs and false
prophets shall rise and show signs and wonders to seduce, if possible,
even the elect. Mark 13:22. These signs and wonders will have their source
in Satan with all power and lying wonders. 2 Tim. 2:19. This kind of
activity is seen today through occult practices and witchcraft. Such false
and dangerous activities are greatly promoted through the release of
popular books and movies as innocent family entertainment. We need to know
the difference.
Signs, wonders, and miracles by the
Holy Spirit are one of the ways we determine true apostles. However, we
should not be quick to judge those who serve in America for even Yeshua
Himself did not do many mighty works in His own country because of
unbelief. Matt. 13:58. There is much unbelief in America. These same
apostles may witness many signs and wonders when they travel abroad,
especially to developing countries that have been devoid of the gospel and
lacking in intellectual pride.
Many people believe that more signs
and wonders will be released even in America through apostolic servants as
they mature and come of age.
Preparation Of Apostles
True apostles who function in the
ways that have been described above have allowed themselves to be prepared
and matured in the school of the Holy Spirit.
When one is called by the Holy
Spirit to be an apostle, he can expect a time of preparation, a time of
testing in the wilderness in order to be effectively used of the Holy
Spirit. Yeshua waited for His age of maturity, then was led into the
wilderness by the Holy Spirit. There He spent forty days, was tested, and
then came out under the power of the Holy Spirit. The twelve apostles were
taught of Yeshua for three or so years. The apostle Paul spent at least
fourteen years in preparation for the time he would be sent out.
The wilderness is a time of
preparation, a time for purging of Self, a time to get the real vision of
what Yeshua is building, a time to mature. Even though one is called to
be an apostle, without this experience, he will likely build something for
Self and abuse the sheep.
Many men have declared that Yahveh
called them to be apostles. Many of these, perhaps most, out of their zeal
to serve, have organized “ministries” for themselves. They have taken this
initiative in self-strength, failing to appreciate the need for a
wilderness journey. By the time the Lord really needs them, they are all
used up.
True apostles have only one purpose
in their lives – to wait upon and obey the Holy Spirit. As they do so, the
Holy Spirit will make a place for the gift He has put in them. Prov.
18:16. Apostles have no other agenda; consequently, they are willing to
spend and be spent. 2 Cor. 12:15.
Summary
Apostles are sent-out-ones from the
Holy Spirit whose job is to fitly frame together the called-out-ones for a
habitation of Yahveh in the Spirit. Apostles are the necessary foundation
upon which this building takes place.
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FOOTNOTES:
{1}
Yeshua is the English spelling
of the Hebrew name for Jesus.
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{2} Yahveh, often spelled
Yahweh, means “I AM THAT I AM” and is the name of the God of Israel. I use
it in preference to LORD.
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{3} Messiah is the English
transliteration (but not the correct Hebrew pronunciation) of the Hebrew
word for Christ.
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{4} The circumcision party
were Jews in Paul’s day who had converted to Messiah and taught that
Gentile converts ought to first become Jews through circumcision, a
doctrine which Paul severely denounced. Gal. 2:3-5.
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Chapters for a new study book to be
titled "A Habitation for Yahveh" by Charles Elliott Newbold, Jr.
are being added to this website as they are
completed:
This material is not
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you may reprint from this document, or from the website. These chapters are subject to further changes,
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