Transitioning to the Apostolic Church
FIVE FOLD HAND OF GOD!
Today there is a tremendous outpouring of God’s Spirit all over the world. Recent gatherings have revealed unusual signs, restoration, sense of awe, and much more. Many ask is this the real thing or just great meetings. If this is not the real thing, it will do until the Real Thing arrives. Many ask, “How can we contain what God is doing.” I Peter 5:6 tells us to, ”humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.” I term this the Five Fold Hand of God.
The Five Fold Hand of God represents the ministry of Ephesians 4:11-12.
The thumb represents the Apostle. His heart is for the overall vision of the organization and how to govern it. The thumb is the only one that can touch all the other fingers. The Apostle makes sure that all the gifts are speaking into the group, assuring that the total voice of Jesus is heard.
The index finger represents the Prophet. His heart is to point the way and help guide us into it. He is the spiritual thermometer and inspires creativity.
The represents the Evangelist. He is reaching out farther to the lost and hurting. His objective is to gather the harvest into one place.
The ring finger represents the Pastor. His heart is to guard the Sheep. He is more sensitive to wolves, sickness, hurts, and food than the other gifts.
The little finger represents the Teacher. Teachers ground us in the word of God. His love for the truth is enlightening for all that can receive. This is just a pictorial summary of these gifts. When all these gifts are received, recognized and released the people remain under the hand of God.
When the Five Fold Hand of God is restricted, the effect is detrimental for God’s people trying to reach their destiny. Lamentations 5: 12 states, “Princes (five fold elders) were hung by the hands.” Space will not permit complete insight, so I will just list some of the effects when the Five Fold is not recognized or severely restricted from a group.
Lamentations:
2: 8 “no restraining of God’s hand from destroying.” The very gifts God uses to build and equip, can destroy. How? People not receiving their instruction or counsel.
2: 9 “Gates (Authority) have sunk into the ground” representing broken down authority in the home, church, employment, and government.
2:10 “elders... they are silent...”no ability to rule or as 5:12 states, they are not respected. 2:11a “My spirit is greatly troubled...” lack of constant peace.
2:11b “little ones and infants faint...” v19 “faint because of hunger”. The young are entertained with programs, events, or social fulfillment, yet their spiritual hunger is never satisfied.
2:13 “who can heal you...” people remain in spiritual, emotional, and physical sickness.
2:14 “Your prophets have seen for you False and Foolish visions...” They have NOT exposed,
restored, but have seen false and misleading oracles. Why? When people invest power in human heroes they give them power to prophesy out of themselves without checks and balances. The reason for not exposing is because the prophets themselves dwell in iniquity and are in captivity.
5:8 “Slaves rule over us. There is no one to deliver us from their hand.” Proverbs 30: 21-23 warns when a slave becomes a king, the earth quakes. Slaves have a master who controls their lives.
5:12-15 I will just list them: no respect for elders, heavy burdens on the young, youth constantly stumbling, elders have no authority, music is gone or replaced, joy has ceased, festive celebration has become mourning, and etc. etc. ( I told you there is not enough room.)
To sustain what God is doing there must be restoration of the Five Fold Hand of God.
Luke 6: 6- 11, Jesus is teaching on the Sabbath. The crowd consisted of scribes, Pharisees, a man with a withered right hand and others. Several observations are crucial to the restoring of the Five Fold Hand of God.
First, there will always be resistance from the ones who should know, but refuse to learn. Scribes and Pharisees are like some of our leaders today, the five fold gifts stand in front of them and they do not recognize it. Jesus Christ was the only one who had all gifts residing in Him.
Second, leaders will always give a reason why these things are not for us. When we succumb to reason, it will manifest in accusation of those who are walking out a truth.
Third, it says “that Jesus Christ knew their thoughts,” An accusative heart will be known by many even without speaking a word.
Fourth, the people of God must rise up to the ignorant lies that we have believed and take a stand for God’s way.
Fifth, when we take a stand it will cause us to stretch out and receive these gifts.
Hebrews 9:10 talks about a “time of reformation” Reformation is the Greek word, ”deorthosis” meaning: to straighten, making straight of what is out of line by coming of a drastic NEW order of reality. The Five Fold Hand of God will stretch us in every area of our lives. Enraging us and yet embracing us at the same time.
When the Five Fold Hand of God is restored it releases an outpouring of His Spirit. I Kings 17 tells of Elijah the Prophet confronting King Ahab. He prophecies that it would not rain for three and a half years and it happened. I Kings 18: 41-46 gives a wonderful picture of what happens when the Five Fold Hand of God is restored. It is now the end of three and half years of no rain. Elijah begins to intercede for rain. He sends his servant to see if rain was coming. He checks seven times, on the seventh time, he reports, “a cloud the size of a man’s hand is coming up out of the sea.” Notice what happens: the sky grew black, wind blew and a heavy rain fell. The servant had to go seven times signifying God’s completion of the last prophetic word and the beginning of prophetic intercession. Then the Five Fold Hand of God begins to rise out of the sea; representing the masses of humanity. The servant saw the cloud like a MAN’S HAND. What was in that hand? Darkness covering the earth and the people, the wind of the Spirit, to blow away the chaff of ungodliness in His people, and the heavy rain being poured out on all. The Prophet then gives direction to governmental authority (King Ahab) to prepare, to humble himself or the outpouring will overtake them. Some will try to ride the outpouring on their own strength (chariots=man made machinery), while others will be running to a new place in God. Notice where they went; “Jezreel.” This name means, ”God Sows.” The new outpouring of His Spirit is a transition from the previous leadership to new ones. They will be planted by God Himself. Those flowing with the Five Fold Hand of God will remain in their proper place.
In conclusion, those who humble themselves under the mighty hand of God will have longevity and remain in this fresh outpouring today.
How do we transition from a traditional church to an Apostolic church?
When I was a young pastor I had all the same ambitions as my peers. I wanted my church to grow and have plenty of money. This seemed to be the goal in ministry. The problem with this mindset was that it determined whether the church was doing well or bad. It also decided my attitude toward the work God had called me to do. If attendance and money were up, I had a good attitude, if it was down I had a bad one. Realizing the vanity of this mindset I needed to change.
One day while reading through the scriptures, I was enlightened to Matthew 7: 24-27. It states:
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine (Jesus Christ) and does them, I will liken him to wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; an it fell. And great was its fall.”
I realized that what I was building was built on tradition and not on Jesus Christ. So I began the transition from a blessing model concept to an apostolic model concept.
The traditional view of leadership places a strong individual at the top, with a few loyal personnel underneath to carry out the wishes and demands of the leader. This Corporation Style structure produces the, ‘us and them syndrome.’ You will hear things in the church community like: ‘church staff’, ‘annual business meeting’, ‘budgets’, ‘church office’, ‘a record of your giving’, etc. While we need personnel, meetings, offices, accounting, these seem to have a higher priority than the church’s actual purpose.
This pyramid style is reflection of building on ‘shifting sand’. Pyramids are the sign of Egypt in our midst. Pyramids were built for death and not life. They do exactly what they are designed to do. KILL!
This style will keep any potential leaders from being developed. Instead of seeing them as young Timothy’s or Titus’, they become suspicious of insubordination, danger, power hungry, and deceitful. This style leads to church splits and constant division. Instead of building on the ROCK (Jesus Christ), they begin to strike the Rock, who called them. Just like Moses struck the Rock. This was the spiritual rock that provided in the wilderness, parted the Red Sea, and brought victory over the enemy. Where had the bitterness come from? What caused the flood of anger? It was the pyramid style leadership. The results Moses received much from God. Had a close relationship with Him, but NEVER made it into the Promised Land.
In the Apostolic Style we must transition our leadership from being ‘OVER’ to ‘WITHIN’ or ‘IN THE MIDST OF’. Study of the scriptures reveals this as ‘covenant language’. The apostolic style is based on covenant. It is more pragmatic than ideological, relational than fragmented, trustful than fearful, and cooperative than competitive. This style provides a clear blueprint of building churches as God designed them.
Genesis 13: 2-4, “...and he (Abraham) went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place when his tent had been at the beginning between Bethel and Ai...” Abram built his altar at Bethel and dwelt there. The choice between, ‘BETHEL’, meaning “an assembled house of God” and ‘AI’, meaning “a heap of stones or ruin”, is significant. Bethel was the gateway to heaven for future generations.
(Genesis 28: 10-22) This is apostolic style. This style produces lively stones that are assembled in their proper place. (Ephesians 4:16) When God’s people gather together in ‘heaps of stones’, we do not see the reality of the house of God, normally resulting in RUIN. Or as Matthew teaches: “Great is the fall...”
Transitioning from a Corporation Style leadership to an Apostolic Style takes careful, prayerful, and hopefully delightful strategizing. In order to do this we must look at a change of mindsets. Let us examine some of these mindsets.
1. We must move from people and their needs to a focus on God’s call and purpose for their lives. People become accustomed to someone always running to their every need. Needs are met indirectly by encouraging people to pursue God’s call and purpose in their lives. This creates within the individual a great confidence and faith in God.
2. Change from Spiritual Obesity to Training people to be Spiritually Fit.
The average American Christian hears approximately twenty-six sermons a week. (i.e. church services, radio, TV. tapes, etc.) This steady diet of hearing and NOT doing is creating an obese church. Hebrews 5 exhorts us to have our sense EXERCISED by discerning... This exercising challenges the people to live out their full potential and realize God’s will for their lives.
3. Change from a ‘Bless Me’ society to ‘I want to be a Blessing’.
Individuals need to take responsibility for their own lives and needs. The BLAME started in the garden and continues until this day. It is someone else’s fault that ‘I am the way I am’. GET OVER IT and grow up. Begin to do things for yourself and others.
4. Change from the hired staff doing everything to the work of the ministry.
Grace gifts have been granted to every believer for their skills, talents, and abilities. Apostolic style teaches and trains individuals how to discover their gifting and how to move in them. We are accustomed to finding a hired gun and expecting them to perform. We can disobey the hired staff, but when the Holy Spirit is speaking to us, we must learn to obey.
5. Change from a maintenance program to a focus on maturity.
The Apostle Paul travailed for the Galatian church so that Christ would be formed on the inside of each of them. He desired to present a mature and complete Bride to Christ.
6. Change from a Slave mentality to an established and experimental reality in Christ.
The apostolic style works on moving us out from under governors and tutors to the reality that we are sons/daughters in Christ.
7. Change from meeting EXTERNAL needs to meeting INTERNAL needs
The business world’s formula for success is, “Find a need and fill it”. The church has adapted this slogan. While this is acceptable it only goes part of the way. Apostolic style moves beyond felt needs and stirs the spirit of man to greater identity and discovery.
8. Change the behavioral system to the belief system.
There is much teaching on applying God’s word in order for believer’s behavior to match God’s standards. The apostolic style lays the proper foundation for minds to be renewed and lives to be transformed. Lives are transformed when our minds are renewed thru revelation knowledge.
These changes are not easy and just the beginning. One word of caution: This will not happen over night. It is a SLOW process. You will be asking individuals to move out of areas that have been their comfort zone for a long time. But with God’s help, you too can build on the ROCK.