Seeking Jesus First Jan. 29, 2025
Why is it important for a church to be apostolic?
The answer is found in the five “office” callings of the church. Notice that “priesthood” is not one of the offices because no one is an intermediary between you and God except God, The SON, Himself, and The Holy Spirit who manifests The Father and The Son to us. We are all called to a holy priesthood because we all have the ability to talk to and hear God.
“The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah 11:2, NKJV)
The Spirit of The LORD - Holy Spirit anointing to lead in the body of Christ.
The Spirit of Wisdom - Apostolic calling to build the right way.
The Spirit of Understanding - Prophetic calling to discern between good and evil.
The Spirit of Counsel - Pastoral calling to advise and shepherd.
The Spirit of Might - Supernatural power of Healings and Miracles
The Spirit of Knowledge - Teacher calling to instruct others in truth
It is not uncommon for those anointed to lead in the body of Christ to operate in each of these offices while building the team or in the absence of a person who has the specific corresponding “office”. This can cause the mindset that the rest are unnecessary, or that this person is ‘special”. We can be tempted to build a church around an individual. Just remember that God is building His church, and He has a design for the building. Christ Jesus is the Chief Apostle, High Priest and Cornerstone. Christ Jesus is The Head. The apostles and prophets make up the rest of this foundation for the church and for the churches.
“And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.” (1 Corinthians 12:28, NKJV)
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:11–16, NKJV)
The church is apostolic because God has designed it that way.