Marks of Apostolic Churches Part II

Last week we took a couple of the qualities of Apostolic Churches from the book 50 Earmarks of an Apostolic Church. This week we will look at a few more.

1. Impart and Stir gifts
"It is quite common for apostolic churches to have altar calls where people come forward for blessing as well as an impartation through the ministry of laying on of hands. This impartation can be for blessing (Gen 48:14-16), wisdom and authority (Deu 34:9), healing (Matt 8:3), for the deaf (Mark 7:32), for signs and wonders (Acts 5:12), to receive the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:17-19), to send out (Acts 13:3), for prophecy (Acts 19:6), special miracles (Acts 19:11-12) and many more reasons.

2. Pioneers
"The word first in reference to the apostles is the Greek word proton meaning, those who are first in time or place. Apostolic churches are proton churches who will, through faith, press into the unknown and unfamiliar territories in the realm of the Spirit. They are the ones divinely called to go first. They press through the dimensions that might feel uncomfortable to the religious so as to make a way for others to follow. Apostolic churches as proton believers have an anointing to breakthrough and to clear a path for others to follow.

3. Team Ministry
"Our culture values individual accomplishment, and encourages and promotes individualism. In life we typically compete against one another in efforts for job advancements, sports, and all sorts of other activities. This is not so within apostolic churches who will not promote some sort of individual stardom. Apostolic churches are champions of cooperation and not competition. They understand the unique value of every member in the church. Although it is appropriate to acknowledge that there are team leaders, the success of the team does not depend on one team member alone."

4. Builders
"Apostolic churches are masterbuilders in the realm of the spirit. After the spirit work is complete it then manifests in the natural. Much work is done preparing the foundation. When a building is built, what the structure rests upon must be solid and able to withstand the weight of the building. The Holy Spirit gives these masterbuilders revelation and strategies. They teach the church the value of being interrelated, codependent, networkers, who are called to make a way for apostolic direction, sending and empowerment. They are apostolic fathers to a fatherless generation. They lead the church as a front-line, cutting edge, battlefield soldiers and pioneers for Christ, preparing the church for a glorious future."

5. Spiritual Fathers
"I come from a generation of preachers who grew up in the ministry without the benefit of a spiritual father. Like thousand of others we have had to glean whatever information we could through books, tapes, videos, seminars, conferences and brief encounters with men of God as they are hurried off platforms and away from people. How I often wonder how much more effective I might have become if I would have had someone who was not so busy to take a personal interest in the call of God on my life. Apostolic churches carry the heart of a father, just as the Apostle Paul had a vested interest in the success of his spiritual son Timothy, and they too, will be concerned with your success. Become a spiritual son or daughter in the house of God and let that apostolic fathering spirit build you up."

6. EVANGELISTIC
"Under our current traditional method of having 'church' we do everything we can to draw people to our buildings for services. An inherent danger with that model is the continual shuffling of religious people from one church to the next. Unfortunately, we still have not come into the understanding of going out and compelling them to come in. Jesus said 'go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled' (Luke 14:23 KJV). Apostolic churches keep evangelism at the forefront of their purpose. They break out of the four walls of the sanctuary onto the streets and into the homes carrying the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In an apostolic church, it is not about bringing the lost to the church for the pastor to lead them in the sinner's prayer, but rather to take the gospel to them (Acts 2:14, 5:12, 6:8, 8:5)