The Apostolic Issue

ISSUE 02 >>

2012

a newfrontiers usa publication

the apostolic issue David Devenish >> The Apostles’s Job Description Carl Herrington >> Receiving Apostolic Ministry

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SOUNDBITE • CHURCH FOCUS • LIFE CHANGE TEAM

JOHN LANFERMAN >> Team Leader >> Newfrontiers USA

CAUGHT UP IN THE MISSION There’s a profusion of writing on the work of apostles today as the church seems to be re-discovering their existence and function. Newfrontiers churches have always participated with apostles, but now many other movements are becoming aware of apostles and their work. While there are various thoughts about apostles, I want to address one particular function of apostolic ministry that relates to their activity among churches.

One of the main functions of apostles today has to do with catching up churches in the mission of Christ to see the nations brought under the of Jesus.

Apostles are gifted men, called by Jesus Christ to equip and lay foundations in the church. They have a passion and zeal to reach the nations for the glory of Jesus and are commissioned to proclaim the gospel to the nations “to bring about the obedience of faith” (Romans 16:26). These men have been chosen and graced (gifted) by Christ for the sake of Jesus’ name and glory, with authority in mission to the nations. They proclaim the gospel of grace with confidence that God will awaken people dead in sin to respond in faith and obedience and then see them formed into apostolic communities.

RECOMMENDED READING

a. The Spirit-Filled Church

by Terry Virgo

Besides the obvious activity of planting churches, laying foundations and equipping others to proclaim the gospel, apostles will also catch churches and individuals up into the mission to reach the world. As churches are caught up in the apostolic mission, they enthusiastically contribute prayerfully, financially, and actively at every level with the apostle in order for apostolic extension to reach to the nations (2 Corinthians 10:13-15). We have many examples of this in the writings of the apostle Paul. One example is his commendation of the church at Thessalonica. He gave thanks to God because they had become imitators of his apostolic team, caught the apostolic mission and were fully engaged in spreading the gospel to regions beyond.

So thoroughly had they proclaimed the gospel to Macedonia and Achaia, Paul states he doesn’t need to personally go to these regions (1 Thessalonians 1:6-8). Churches effectively caught up in the apostolic mission are instrumental in releasing the apostle to extend Christ’s mission into new areas.

Apostles have a passion to involve churches in the wider mission to unreached regions of the world. Paul provides an example of this when writing to the church in Rome. He saw his visit as an opportunity for the Roman church to get behind him as a base for mission to Spain. He asked them to send him on his way. This would involve giving money, sending companions or team members to assist, and providing food and some means to travel. He anticipated the

SOUNDBITE

Apostles have a passion to involve churches in the wider mission to unreached regions of the world.

Roman church would fully participate in his apostolic mission into other nations. Effective apostolic engagement with local churches will result in those churches having their vision enlarged to reach the unreached (Rom. 15:19-21).

Paul traveled to churches, laid foundations, strengthened them, appointed elders and wrote letters to instruct them.

He also served churches by sending his team members to strengthen them and in particular, to engage them in world mission.

Apostles stir mission by encouraging church leaders to identify and encourage those feeling called to the nations.

This involves these churches regularly praying for the apostolic mission. Paul writes to Rome, “I appeal to you brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God…” (Rom 15:30).

Paul states that from Jerusalem to Illyricum he fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ (Rom 15:19). As the gospel was proclaimed, communities of faith were formed and leaders for these communities were established and became engaged with Paul in his apostolic mission. Churches were planted across Asia Minor and the Greek Peninsula to ensure that the gospel would be proclaimed throughout their borders. Paul was continually calling and engaging these churches in his apostolic mission.

As these churches were caught up in his wider mission, Paul’s sphere increased and the gospel prevailed. This is demonstrated repeatedly in the New Testament. Paul was able to have resources to establish the churches in Corinth due to the support of the churches in Philippi. He then wrote to the Corinthian churches to become engaged in mission with him so his ministry could increase beyond them. Thus, churches engaged with an apostle and his team will stand with him to reach the world for Christ. They are engaged through all manner of support and they equally own the responsibility for the mission by being physically

Read more from John at: www.confluenceblog.org

engaged in the proclamation of the gospel and the transformation of cities and nations.

This is a priority for me in my activity among the churches of Newfrontiers USA that look to me apostolically. I encourage our churches to participate in my vision of planting reproducing churches in the largest 100 cities in the USA. But I also want our existing churches to take initiatives like the church in Thessalonica, looking to nearby regions as places to proclaim the gospel and plant churches. We are also very engaged in sending members of my team such as Sam Poe to the nations to proclaim the gospel and train others to reach oral cultures with “Chronological Bible Storying.” Equipping for the apostolic mission is so vital as my team stands with our churches. We provide training like The Trilogy Project, Church Planting Training, Church Planting Boot Camps, Frontier Year Teams, Life Change Teams, and Cross-cultural Training. Our conferences serve many purposes, but primarily envision our family of churches for the mission to which Christ has called us. As we look out to the fields ripe for harvest, we are encouraged by understanding we can do more together than we could ever do on our own.

DAVE DEVENISH >> From chapter 3 of Fathering Leaders, Motivating Mission Summarized by SETH HOFFMAN >> Harbor Church >> Portsmouth, NH

THE APOSTLE’S JOB DESCRIPTION

While n experien there is call c

If we are to embrace the gift of the apostle today, we need to draw our pattern from the model of apostolic gifting that we see in the New Testament.

“Apostle” was a fairly common word when Jesus was on earth and generally meant “a messenger, delegate or ambassador”. JB Lightfoot notes, “the apostle is not only the messenger, but the delegate of the person who sends him…(on a) highly responsible mission”.

What about apostles today? While acknowledging that the twelve who were with Jesus and the apostle Paul had roles that were unique to their calling and function, other New Testament apostles are mentioned (Barnabas, Apollos, Andronicus, etc.). One primary point that joins all apostles, whether first century or today, is their identity and calling.

While not all apostles have the same experience of literally being with Jesus, there is an awareness of having been called, authorized, gifted and commissioned by Jesus. In terms of how apostles actually function, we can draw several conclusions from the New Testament pattern.

stand this revelation and see their part in it. Applying this revelation in the local context has huge implications because it includes things like laying doctrinal foundations of the grace of God, Jesus Christ’s headship over all things, the role and outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the significant role of the church, the end of racial barriers in the church, and the fulfillment of all Old Testament promises in Jesus, among other things (see Ephesians 3). While pastors and teachers certainly help in laying these foundations, they function better when they are building upon the foundational teaching already laid by the apostle.

First, apostles bring understanding of the revelation concerning God’s overall purposes in the earth. They are particularly helpful to the local churches for which they are responsible because they help those churches under-

Second, apostles establish churches after the same pattern they see in Jesus. Jesus gathered his original disciples into a community where godly character was developed. When he commissioned them, it was to go and make disciples (Matthew 28). They knew that it was in the context of community that disciples were made. Their weaknesses were exposed and addressed as they did daily life together with the mentoring example of Jesus. This is a model, not just a methodology. Paul, for example, went about establishing churches differently in different contexts depending on the needs there. His goal was always to establish local communities of believers who were growing in grace and witnessing to the surrounding community.

RECOMMENDED READING

Fathering Leaders, Motivating Mission

by David Devenish

Third, apostles lay a good foundation in churches. In the New Testament, planting churches didn’t mean they just gathered a number of converts. Paul described his ministry like this: “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation

not all apostles have the same nce of literally being with Jesus, s an awareness of having been led, authorized, gifted and commissioned by Jesus.

LIFE

TEAMS ZIMBABWE

JOSH LEMASTERS >> Christ’s Church of Joplin >> Joplin, MO as an expert builder.” For apostles, planting churches involves preaching the gospel and setting up local church leadership.

While apostles are relationally connected to the churches, establishing local elderships of faithful men allow apostles to continue extending the mission while not forsaking the fruit God has already brought.

Fourth, apostles become like fathers to the churches they establish and to those church leaders. Apostles spend time with the leaders, modeling the servant leadership they seek to build into all their churches. Following the pattern of Jesus with the disciples, apostles mentor and father local church leaders by sharing their lives with them.

Fifth, apostles not only plant churches, they provide ongoing care as well. While not always physically around, apostles are in regular communication with the churches they serve and address specific issues, as Paul did with the church in Corinth.

In the biblical model of leadership, the shepherd’s heart undergirds all genuine godly leadership like the apostle.

Sixth, apostles involve churches in the wider mission to reach the world. Having an apostle visit should result in the local church having its missionary vision enlarged.

Finally, apostles are concerned for the poor. Paul made caring for the poor a priority in his ministry (Galatians 2:10).

Apostles are to reflect the compassionate heart of God, who is always bringing justice to the poor. The gospel is literally “good news for the poor” and care for the poor is central for apostolic ministry today.

Hear more from Dave Devenish at EFM 2012.

OCTOBER 4–6 S T. L O U I S , M O

A Life Change Team is an opportunity for cross-cultural training through immersion in the life and culture of another nation for a few weeks. A team went to Zimbabwe in March for this experience. Team members were: Josh LeMasters >> Christ’s Church of Joplin, MO Michael Mix >> Christ’s Church of Ft. Scott, KS Kristin Childress >> Lifehouse Downtown, Nashville, TN Greg Virkler >> Jubilee Church Washington, MO The team attended several Sunday worship services in different locations. The church in Harare felt like a Western church, but it lacked consistent electricity. The day the team visited there, a generator powered the building.

Crossroads Community Church in Kezi met under a large thatched roof where we worshipped in the Ndebele language and in English. Sam Poe told a Bible story near the cows and goats and although this rural service was very different for me, I sensed God’s Spirit stirring. It was great to participate in a work I had spent so much time praying and thinking about. I was 10,000 miles from home, but with family.

We toured the Ebenezer Agricultural Training Center and saw Foundations For Farming at work. Five years ago this center began meeting on a rock where their cafeteria is now located.

We went to the Kingdom Advance Champions Conference, which highlighted Foundations For Farming and all kinds of new initiatives in churches, education, health, family, and finance focused on affecting change in Africa.

People from over 21 nations attended. Scott Marques, Mbonisi “Bones” Malaba, and Peter Cunningham’s compelling messages clearly expressed a vision for change that was contagious. We also participated in a Chronological Bible Storying (CBS) seminar where we practiced our story-telling skills with about 50 leaders.

PRAYER POINTS FOR ZIMBABWE: The effective combination of Chronological Bible Storying and Foundations for Farming.

For more men to join and be active in Crossroads Church (and other rural churches).

Breaking spiritual strongholds (i.e. poverty, tribal religions, fear, jealousy) so churches can be even more effective.

CARL HERRINGTON >> Jubilee Church >> Atlanta, GA

RECEIVING

APOSTOLIC MINISTRY

If we want to have New Testament churches, we must realize receiving apostolic ministry into the church is not just helpful, but essential. If you were looking to buy a home and your realtor showed you houses that looked amazing on the outside but had no foundations, how interested would you be in these so-called homes? You’d probably change realtors! Without a right foundation, your house won’t stand.

In Ephesians 2:19-21, Paul tells believers, “you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord.” God is building His house, the Church, and has given us apostles and prophets; men who have the ability to lay a right foundation. Paul writes, “We are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God, which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it” (1 Corinthians 3:9-10).

Paul’s favorite terms is “in Christ” and he clearly states how important it is for Christians to know who they are in Christ.

We must understand that an apostle is gifted to impart the reality of what it means to be in Christ. Knowing our identity in Christ is the only way to avoid falling into legalism.

Legalism will destroy faster and more thoroughly than any other sin. An apostle has a supernatural gift to impart this foundational truth in a way that good biblical teaching alone will not produce.

Receiving apostolic ministry means seeing the apostle has relational authority in our local church. A key prerequisite for receiving apostolic input is relationship. Terry Virgo exPaul is clear he laid a foundation by the grace given to him plains, “The apostles were not simply tutors. They became and there is only one foundation, Christ Himself. One of fathers through the Gospel, addressing their converts in the most tender of terms as their beloved children.” The apostle works together with the elders. We receive an apostle the RECOMMENDED READING same way we want people to receive elders in the church.

We must build and maintain a friendship where there is mutual trust and respect for one another. It is not a hierarchy or dictatorship, but a team that recognizes and embraca. The Tangible Kingdom

by Matt Smay & Hugh Halter es the apostle and his gifted authority. At Jubilee Church in Atlanta, we see b. With John Lanferman as part of our team,

by Skye Jethani not an “occasional advisor”. John has authority because of our relationship with him and we view his authority as a b something that strengthens us as we work together.

We must build and maintain a friendship where there is mutual trust and respect for one another. It is not a hierarchy or dictatorship, but a team that recognizes and embraces the apostle and his gifted authority.

When an apostle is with us in our local scene, we make sure he is around our leaders and the young men we see as potential leaders. Because the apostle is able to recognize those who have a leadership gift (Acts 14:23) he should be involved in appointing elders. This greatly helps local eldership with the responsibility of training leaders. Local leaders sometimes overlook leaders they have or depend on people who are not leaders. We can have leaders with wrong motives for leadership that can become a problem down the road. We need the apostle’s perspective in these situations. Paul set in elders (Acts 14:23) and gave instruction to Timothy and Titus on setting in elders. The church cannot move beyond its leadership, which means we must get leadership right with apostolic help.

At times an apostle may find a “Timothy” among our young men and local churches and leaders need to be willing to release them if the apostle needs them for strategic mission. Pastors can sometimes be protective of young leaders and become fearful the apostle will “take” them. When the apostle or his representative visits the local scene, these young leaders need to be around to receive apostolic influence. It hurts the development of the church’s leaders to limit the impact of the apostle in the church.

The apostle can help when churches experience difficulty such as leadership failure, or people being divisive. With apostolic ministry you have someone involved who knows the situation and has the wisdom to help resolve the situation.

Receiving apostolic ministry also means receiving others the apostle sends. When Terry Virgo first came to the U.S.,

he said we needed some evangelists to help us get out of an “inward looking” condition. Terry perceived where we were and what we needed, and he sent Mike Sprenger and Lex Loizides, who greatly equipped us to become more missional.

Apostles keep God’s big picture in front of us so we see ourselves as being on a mission. A lack of giving and serving is usually due to a lack of vision. If people realize they are part of something bigger than their local scene, they become motivated to serve and give to this bigger vision.

How important is receiving apostolic ministry? How important is it for a house to have a right foundation? Viewing an apostle as a consultant or counselor is shortsighted and we end up building a structure without a foundation. In the book of Acts, God used his gifted apostles to build the vibrant New Testament church. Terry Virgo comments: “What was coming to birth? Certainly not church, as many presently know it. The idea of people simply ‘attending religious services’ in special buildings on Sundays could not have been further from their minds.

What was coming to birth was a people, a nation, a community, a counter-culture called out initially from Israel and subsequently from among nations. Their loyalty was to Christ. Their lifestyle was dictated by the example and teaching of those that Jesus himself commissioned, namely the apostles.”

If we are going to have any shot at planting healthy churches throughout this nation, responding to apostolic ministry must be a way of life for us. There really is no other option.

Read more from Carl Herrington at: www.confluenceblog.com

CHURCH FOCUS Bryan Mowrey Lead Pastor

St. Louis Metro Area (multi-site)

In what year did you join with Newfrontiers? 1997 What is a particular area of focus/strength of your church? A strength of Jubilee would be its leadership base. Our focus is to connect people to Jesus resulting in God-honoring life change.

Tell us about a recent “win” in your church. On Easter, we had 658 in attendance and 15 baptisms. The following week, four people were healed!

OCTOBER 4–6, 2012

S H E R AT O N W E S T P O R T C H A L E T

S T. L O U I S , M O

SPEAKERS D AV I D D E V E N I S H TERRY VIRGO JOHN LANFERMAN F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N & T O R E G I S T E R O N L I N E , V I S I T

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