Monday 6 September 2010

LOOKING FOR THE APOSTOLIC

I think I have come to the place where I am able to define what I am looking for in the relationship between a local church and an apostle. Excuse the vowel-ish alliteration but I am looking for an apostolic ministry that is:
  • Apostolic - where the man that I am looking to has a clearly apostolic anointing upon him.
  • Equipping - that they and the ministries that revolve around their apostolic ministry are indeed equipping the saints in my church.
  • International - that they connect us with other churches, church plants and kingdom initiatives in our nation and the nations.
  • Open - that they are totally unthreatened by us inviting in other Eph 4:11 ministries that we feel are what we need at the time. That they themselves are also open to work with other Eph 4:11 flows. Their highest agenda must be the health of the local churches, not the size or shape of their "apostolic team" (if there even is such a clearly defined thing in the NT). They must also be willing to joyfully release any emerging apostles to their own spheres without holding them into their sphere.
  • Unbounded - this apostle and the other Eph 4:11 ministries that revolve around him should not create a clearly bounded "team", but work with an organically fluid group of Eph 4:11 ministries as is appropriate for different nations, different situations and different local churches . Each local church will know very clearly which apostle and which other Eph 4:11 ministries they are looking to. The apostle and the other Eph 4:11 ministries however, will NOT  know exactly how many churches are looking to them at any one time. Some churches may call on them once, or twice and then never again. Some may call on them for many years.
The local church has got to remain centre stage. Not the "apostolic teams" as loosely defined as these may be. They are there to help the local church be all she has been called to be by our Lord Jesus Christ.
I think I am finding what I am looking for :-)

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