Exploring the Apostolic - 1.

An introduction to the series - A Context to Explore the Apostolic in this Next Era.

In this series of blogs, I want us to look at the ministry of the apostle and the apostolic as I have started to understand it at this time. In this first blog I want to give a little context and also outline why I think it is a crucial topic to look at now. In terms of context, I want to look at the prophetic context and a little of my own historical context.  

Firstly, let’s take a look at the prophetic context currently. I sense that we are at a crucial time in human history. Since the end of World War two we have seen a consistent and gradual change in culture in the west. Culture has moved progressively from a modern - enlightenment sourced - culture to a more post-modern understanding and practice. It would take too long to fully open up this subject here, but it is important we understand some of the premise I am coming from. We are seeing this change in the world at large as well as the spiritual and Christian world. In response to this cultural change, I have sensed prophetically, for a few years, that this isn’t just a change of season, but we are on the cusp of a change of era. That God is in the process of ushering a new era. Some of the signs would be things like the death of prominent people or decline of institutions and not seeing a natural replacement for them or the way they did things or the influence they exerted being profligated. We are hearing quite regularly comments such as ‘…the like of which we will never see again..’ about political leaders, spiritual leaders, sports people, even royalty, in the UK there is an actual change of era from the second Elizabethan era to the Carolean (King Charles) era! In the Christian world we have also had ‘end of era’ type changes with the passing of the likes of Billy Graham, Reinhart Bonnke and Luis Palau with no immediate or obvious replacements that will fill those shoes or stadiums. I could spend time developing the argument, but I think you get the gist!

During the pandemic I enjoyed taking a little sabbatical. The Lord led me to study the Book of Joshua and the Book of Daniel. While studying Daniel I sensed God opening my eyes and teaching me lessons on how to thrive in a post-Christian culture and environment. As I studied the Book of Joshua I felt God showing me we were moving from one era to another, and my generation were to be part of a transitional generation in the same way Joshua and Caleb were a transitional generation and leadership to the people of Israel. The commission is to bring the important truths of the former era – the stones of remembrance - and help the next generation to transition well. However, spiritual life together would look and feel very different from the former era. Here are some of the highlights:

·      In the former era people were well fed and it was given to them – in the new era people would need to be more resilient and in a sense ‘forage for food’ themselves and eventually learn how to reclaim land and farm it (which they probably hadn’t done three generations!).

·      In the former era everything was based around the tabernacle (translate church and/or building) with its programmes and events etc. but in the new era things will need to be more fluid and flexible but still community based.

·      In the former era life was more about welcoming people in and surviving but in the new era life will be more about how we cross rivers and inhabit cities.

·      In the former era life was settled and routine but in the new era there will be a dependence on hearing new instructions for each new situation.

But in this new era there is still a place for some of the expressions of the old era. In the story of the people of Isreal, two and half tribes had asked Moses to be allowed to still live and receive their inheritance on the east side of the river Jordan and their request was granted. What was important, it seems, was that both sections respected and honoured what the Lord had agreed and promised them, and also, helped each other in fulfilling the commission God had given. From a personal point of view, I am praying that this will be the case, and we will avoid the normal responses of the former movement of God persecuting the ‘next thing’ and the ‘next thing’ dismissing and minimising what has happened in the past.

That gives you a thumb nail sketch of the prophetic context I see emerging.

Now for a little my own historical context. In the UK (and other nations) in 1960’s and ‘70’s there was a growing movement that were rediscovering the gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit outside of the Pentecostal Church. By the late 70’s, early ‘80’s in some quarters this had developed and there was a growing movement that was endeavouring to rediscover the Christianity of the New Testament and a restoration of those things we see in the New Testament in terms of gifts, ministries and some of the ‘life’ and practices of the church. This became known in the UK as the Restoration Movement. within this movement there was broad agreement that there was a need to see a more New Testament model for church structure, governance, and the restoring of the gifts of the Spirit found in Corinthians and Romans (among others) and the ministries that we find outlined the Book of Ephesians chapter 4v11-13. Initially, there was a coming together of these leaders but overtime the movement developed a number of different streams with slightly different emphasis in terms of their base theology, especially around leadership styles and churchmanship among other things*.

It was a few years after I had come faith in the late ‘70’s that I first encountered the term Ephesians 4 ministries, apostle, and prophet outside of reading it in the New Testament. I had gone off to college in England and when I was away one of the families at home in Wales that had taken me under their wing and nurtured my faith left the Baptist church we were part of and joined a ‘restoration church’ that had started up in the area. Initially, I was a little suspicious and sceptical but as I started to read and study the scriptures I became convinced of the validity of the quest to see these ministries and gifts restored to the church as well as seeing a different expression of church emerge. I will share a little of my own journey in later blogs in this series.

It is in light of these prophetic and historical contexts that i have become convinced that to be able to enter this new era we need to be much more apostolic in general and see the gift of the apostle and prophet working in tandem more specifically.

It was when I was sharing the prophetic context with someone a while back that I feel I gained some perspective on the historical context as well. I was asked the question: ‘What I thought would the focus of this next era? Did I think it would be the era of ecclesia?’ I immediately sensed ‘no’ this wouldn’t be the era of ecclesia or the church but a missional era. When I was reflecting afterwards, I was initially perplexed at why I had immediately, and very strongly, had that response. It was as I prayed and ruminated on it that I realised that the last 4 decades I had been involved in the restoration movement it had largely been about the church. It’s importance and pre-eminence in Jesus’ heart, the importance of building and establishing it as a living community that was deep in fellowship, active in remembrance and celebration of Jesus, in prayer and intimate connection with the Godhead and the other members of the body. As well as having a living interaction and commitment to the word of life and scriptures, and being relevant and accessible to those around them to be able to connect and find Jesus. The reality was that although we had seen the revelation and importance of the role and ministry of the apostle and prophet in reality we had only really seen them worked out in a model that was based in the local church. This era had been very much about the ecclesia – the church – which fits well with the picture of everything being based around the tabernacle. Now something different was needed, there needed to be another expression of the apostolic, one that was more fluid, less based in the church context as we understand it, but still having real community. One that was more missionally minded and could develop different and relevant church communities and cultures that fitted the culture and context of those they are reaching, while still being counter cultural to it in the important areas. Please don’t miss hear me. I am not saying we haven’t seen any of this happening, but I think this will become the norm of what we see. I also sense that the types of transformational faith communities(churches)they will birth will look very different from what we are used to – and we may not even recognise that is what they!

During this series of blogs my aim is to share, where, and what, I think God is asking of us in journeying to in this new era particularly as relates to the apostolic (and the prophetic).

I hope this has whetted your appetite or at least made you curious as to what will come next!

*Andrew Walker endeavoured to write a history of the restoration movement in his book ‘Restoring the Kingdom’. Some involved in the various movements might disagree with some of the content and some of conclusions, but I feel overall it is a good start to understanding the history of what happened.