Development of the Apostle
Another significant
part of this ministry to be considered is its development. The movement to
understand the ministry of the Apostle entails their spiritual evolution.
Again, because of the tendency to deny the role of the Apostles, some may make
the mistake of not allowing them room to grow and develop. Apostles mature
gradually as do those with any other ministerial gift. The term Apostle has
traditionally provoked an image of a fully seasoned ministry, overflowing with
wisdom and experience. This may leave some with the impression that only the
most mature can be called to this position.
In the case of the disciple; Yahushua
referred to them as apostles even when they were still immature and unreliable,
Luke 6:12. Peter is an outstanding example of a person who began his
Apostleship full of instability and irrational behavior, but later grew into
full maturity. He had to go through the full process of the cross, to come to
full spiritual maturity, but he was an Apostle nevertheless. An apostle is one
who has been trained in all aspects of spiritual gifts, fruit, warfare, and
maturity. He or she is like a General, who has to know the capability of each
weapon and unit under His command. Every office has the potential to achieve
the rank of General; it is usually the best that make it to the top. A Prophet,
or Teacher, or Pastor, or Evangelist might be one dimensional in ministry. But
they all have the ability to move to higher height and greater glory, like an
Apostle who is usually multi facetted in ministry.
YAHVEH always builds upon the
potential of a person. A believer may be called to be an Apostle while still
immature. An Apostle can be people in process, people under construction or
going through attitude adjustments, while the seed of Apostleship is being
germinated deep in their spirit, Yahushua the Messiyah is the original mould
for an Apostle. He called them an Apostle long before many would recognize them
as such. My view is simply this; those who sit on the throne in Revelation 3:21
are those who reach the position of Apostle, something we should all work for!
Whosoever will may come, evolution on the spiritual realm is not limited to a
chosen few, but it is limited for a choice few.
Bill Scheidler insightfully
points to a detailed process in developing an apostle, based on his study. During the time of Yahushua, He chose
twelve, He chose strong men, who were not afraid to talk back to Him, He lived
with them; He mentored them for three and a half years. In that time a blue
print of spiritual proportion was spiritually imparted to them. In the Apostle
Paul’s situation, it was a divine infixing of the true authority. This is the
same spiritual empowerment available from the Holy Spirit for us today.[1]
Vehicle
There are two primary vehicles
that are used by the Apostle in scripture to communicate effectively; these are
the Vocal ministry and the Written Word.
The
Vocal Ministry: They use their mouth to vocalize and communicate the word. The
Apostle Paul spends many hours in teaching, preaching and prophesying. The work
was first of all verbal, unlike today's radio, and television. The Internet
seems to have expanded the range of the apostolic method of circulating the
Gospel. Nevertheless, voice still plays a vital role in the process, through
the Spirit of Counsel and the Spirit of might.
The
Written Word: In the olden days the message was transported over great
distances in the form of the written word. When one just could not be there,
the most effective way, as seen by the Apostle of all Apostles, in his many
letters to the different churches. This was also an effective way of recording
for future generations the events of the church.
Another significant
part of this ministry to be considered is its development. The movement to
understand the ministry of the Apostle entails their spiritual evolution.
Again, because of the tendency to deny the role of the Apostles, some may make
the mistake of not allowing them room to grow and develop. Apostles mature
gradually as do those with any other ministerial gift. The term Apostle has
traditionally provoked an image of a fully seasoned ministry, overflowing with
wisdom and experience. This may leave some with the impression that only the
most mature can be called to this position.
In the case of the disciple; Yahushua
referred to them as apostles even when they were still immature and unreliable,
Luke 6:12. Peter is an outstanding example of a person who began his
Apostleship full of instability and irrational behavior, but later grew into
full maturity. He had to go through the full process of the cross, to come to
full spiritual maturity, but he was an Apostle nevertheless. An apostle is one
who has been trained in all aspects of spiritual gifts, fruit, warfare, and
maturity. He or she is like a General, who has to know the capability of each
weapon and unit under His command. Every office has the potential to achieve
the rank of General; it is usually the best that make it to the top. A Prophet,
or Teacher, or Pastor, or Evangelist might be one dimensional in ministry. But
they all have the ability to move to higher height and greater glory, like an
Apostle who is usually multi facetted in ministry.
YAHVEH always builds upon the
potential of a person. A believer may be called to be an Apostle while still
immature. An Apostle can be people in process, people under construction or
going through attitude adjustments, while the seed of Apostleship is being
germinated deep in their spirit, Yahushua the Messiyah is the original mould
for an Apostle. He called them an Apostle long before many would recognize them
as such. My view is simply this; those who sit on the throne in Revelation 3:21
are those who reach the position of Apostle, something we should all work for!
Whosoever will may come, evolution on the spiritual realm is not limited to a
chosen few, but it is limited for a choice few.
Bill Scheidler insightfully
points to a detailed process in developing an apostle, based on his study. During the time of Yahushua, He chose
twelve, He chose strong men, who were not afraid to talk back to Him, He lived
with them; He mentored them for three and a half years. In that time a blue
print of spiritual proportion was spiritually imparted to them. In the Apostle
Paul’s situation, it was a divine infixing of the true authority. This is the
same spiritual empowerment available from the Holy Spirit for us today.[1]
Vehicle
There are two primary vehicles
that are used by the Apostle in scripture to communicate effectively; these are
the Vocal ministry and the Written Word.
The
Vocal Ministry: They use their mouth to vocalize and communicate the word. The
Apostle Paul spends many hours in teaching, preaching and prophesying. The work
was first of all verbal, unlike today's radio, and television. The Internet
seems to have expanded the range of the apostolic method of circulating the
Gospel. Nevertheless, voice still plays a vital role in the process, through
the Spirit of Counsel and the Spirit of might.
The
Written Word: In the olden days the message was transported over great
distances in the form of the written word. When one just could not be there,
the most effective way, as seen by the Apostle of all Apostles, in his many
letters to the different churches. This was also an effective way of recording
for future generations the events of the church.
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