Apostolic Order

OBJECTIVES

After completing this lesson, the student will be able to:

1. Explain how God works in dispensations in order to affect His purpose in the earth.

2.Define and explain the term ‘apostolic order’ by using scripture to support God’s purpose inside of His government.

3.Explain the importance of being ‘in Christ’ in order to minister to God’s people.

4.Compare the establishing of the first priesthood in the Old Covenant to the structure of the present day Body of Christ.

► STUDY GUIDE LESSON

The Lord establishes the method by which deliverance is brought to His people. Many leaders in the Body of Christ have assumed this responsibility and have decided to devise their own method of delivery. They have structured the Body as it has pleased them; consequently they have failed to achieve deliverance. This is important because there are so many churches that use the same Bible, as well as serve and worship the same God, but the belief systems are so different that denominations were formed to accommodate these differences.

God did not intend for the Body of Christ to be separated and confused about Him or His Word. After this particular teaching on Apostolic Order, you will understand why you are sometimes frustrated, and why there seems to be something missing. In order for the Body to achieve what God has spoken, we must all speak the same thing. To accomplish this, there must be a structure installed in the church that was given by God.

1 Corinthians 1:10

10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement.

God’s structure is synonymous with His “Growth Path.” Structure and/or Growth Path can be found in the scripture defined by one word; dispensation.

Ephesians 3:1-3

1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery;

As I wrote above in few words, Dispensation simply means a period of time and the method by which God is going to deal with His people during that period of time. During the Dispensation of the Law, God dealt with His people according to the Law. They offered up bulls, goats, rams, doves, etc. for sacrifices. But a new dispensation began with the coming of Christ. In the present dispensation, God is dealing with His people by Grace and Truth through Jesus Christ; therefore, when the dispensation changes, God’s method of dealing with His people changes.

DISPENSATIONS Before Adam and Eve sinned, they were considered innocent. That was the Dispensation of Innocence, and God dealt with them according to that dispensation. The scattering of the people at the Tower of Babel, began the Dispensation of Conscience. After the Dispensation of Conscience, the people were divided into nations and God began dealing with them according to their human governments. Next, we had the Dispensation of Promise with Abraham. From there, we had the Dispensation of the Law given to Moses by God, followed by the Dispensation of Grace and Truth, which came through Jesus Christ. The seventh and last dispensation will be the Millennium. God is the one who determines the method by which He is going to reach His people in every dispensation.

Hebrews 1:1-2

1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Jesus Christ is the only one who God has ordained to speak to His people. Therefore, anyone who speaks to the Body of Christ must be ‘in Christ’. A minister is simply the mouthpiece Christ is using, because it must be Christ who speaks through the minister. If Christ is not speaking through the minister, he has no message for the people of God. God does not deviate from His plan. THE LORD IS A GOD OF ORDER. This can be seen in the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness, as well as the establishing of the first priesthood.

Exodus 25:1-9

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.

3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,

4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,

5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,

6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,

7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.

8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it. God gave Moses specific instructions to build His house. For God’s presence to abide in this building, it had to be according to the instructions that were given. The same principle is true today. Leaders in the Body of Christ must prepare man to be a habitat for God. It is our responsibility to make sure that God has a vessel He can live in and work through. It has always been the heart of God to live among His people. He desires our hands and feet so He can touch us; because He is a Spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:9-11

9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

We are laborers together with God. He is the architect who drew the design and He is the one who oversees the work. As leaders in the Body of Christ, we must have the mindset that we are working with and for God; not for ourselves. We have one reason to be here on earth, and that is to prepare a habitat in which the Father can live. The laborers who are hired by Jesus to build this building are: Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers and Evangelists. Jesus Christ is the Pastor, the Apostle, the Teacher, the Evangelist and the Prophet. All we have to do is allow Him to work through us. If He placed you in position as Pastor, then let Him work the gift through you. We are not learning how to become Pastors, Teachers, Prophets, Evangelists or Apostles; we are learning how to submit to Jesus Christ, who is the realization of all the gifts. Once we submit to Him, we will fulfill the call, for He is within us. It is Jesus Christ that is going to do the work, because He is authorized to construct the building.

PURPOSE FOR MINISTRY

Ephesians 2:19-22

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

This is the purpose for ministry. The building must be fitly framed and joined together. Once it is fitly framed together, every joint will then supply what is needed to cause the building to stand. There is nothing feeble about the building of God. Once the household of faith is identified, it is placed on a Growth Path. The methodology God has given for the Body of Christ is designed to bring us into perfection. Following God’s method will destroy sin, division and diversities of beliefs in the church; all will be speaking the same thing, having one mind, one vision and one purpose.

THE TABERNACLE IN THE WILDERNESS THE LORD IS A GOD OF ORDER. As mentioned earlier, this order is demonstrated in the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness, as well as the establishing of the first priesthood. The tabernacle in the wilderness had two rooms; the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. There was a fence around it and the door to the tabernacle was facing east. When they set it up, the tribes were to camp around it according to the instructions that God gave Moses. The tribe closest to the entrance was Judah. Below is a brief breakdown of the order and responsibilities of the Levitical priesthood. The sons of Gershon and Merari were keepers of the structure. They were charged with the maintenance and the security of the building itself.

Numbers 3:25-26

25 And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,

26 And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.

The sons of Kohath were keepers of the furniture and vessels of the sanctuary. They were responsible for those things which were to be used in the sanctuary.

Numbers 3:29-32

29 The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.

30 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

31 And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.

32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.

Numbers 3:36-37

36 And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto,

37 And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.

Moses, Aaron and his sons were KEEPERS OF THE PEOPLE.

Numbers 3:38

But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, was the chief over all of the chiefs of the Levites. He had the oversight of those who kept the charge of the sanctuary. Eleazar, the oldest of Aaron’s sons, was the one who was the chief among them; he was the overseer. This is how God divided the responsibility. The tribe of Levi was chosen to establish the priesthood. They numbered twenty-two thousand males. The Lord instructed Moses how to separate their responsibilities. Each family of the sons of Aaron was given specific tasks to perform in the tabernacle; and the responsibility of each was different. Moses gave the assignments and it was he who knew the areas in which God wanted each member of the priesthood to work.

OLD TESTAMENT SCHOOLMASTER We need to go back to the Old Covenant in order to understand God’s mind for the New Covenant. The Old Covenant is our schoolmaster; and it is beneficial for us to note the principles illustrated there. God was a God of order then and He is still a God of order. For this cause, we have deacons, ministries of helps, and other ministries in the church today. Every man is chosen to serve according to his several abilities. These areas of responsibility were designed to bring order in the house. It allowed all who were of the chosen tribe of Levi to work designated areas of ministry. Each part worked together to perform the complete ministry to the people. Being in ministry does not necessarily mean that you are in the pulpit, because everyone was not called to the five-fold ministry. There are some who are called to counsel, some to edify, some to exhort, some to encourage and some are called as prayer intercessors.

Everyone has individual responsibility. Areas of responsibility in the church are: the five-fold ministry; the ministry of helps, exhortation, intercession, administration and governments. The five-fold ministry gifts, in the New Covenant, are keepers of the flock; Aaron and his four sons are an illustration of this in the Old Covenant. In this dispensation (Grace and Truth), it is the Apostle and the other four gifts: the Prophet, the Pastor, the Teacher and the Evangelist, that are the keepers of the people.

They set the order and the government of the Body of Christ. God revealed the structure of the tabernacle to Moses, because he was a type of the Apostle. Moses, as Aaron’s leader, received the instructions relative to his responsibility; he gave Aaron the instructions to set up the priesthood. God is going to give one person the vision for ministry, and if you want to know the vision, you have to submit to that one person. If you belong in the same house as the set apostle, then whatever God has put in your heart to do will fit inside of the vision of the house. When it is really God that gives you something to do, the vision of the Apostle is big enough to include this. These areas of responsibility were designed to bring order to God’s house. It allowed all those who were of the chosen tribe of Levi to work their designated areas of ministry, and the same is true today. Each part works together to perform the complete ministry to the people. Each area of responsibility may differ, but it is God who determines the area and responsibility that each person will work.

► LESSON ASSIGNMENT

Below you will find questions that pertain to each of the lesson objectives. You are asked to thoroughly answer each of them in your own words. Once you have done so, compare your answers to those in the section of the lesson entitled “Objectives and Suggested Questions for Class Discussion”.

1. What is a dispensation?

2. Name the dispensations mentioned in the lesson.

3. When did or when will each of these dispensations begin?

4. What is the present dispensation?

5. How has God structured His Body during this dispensation?

6. What is apostolic order?

7. Where is this located in scripture?

8. What is the purpose of the five-fold ministry?

9. Where is this found in scripture?

10. When apostolic order is in place, what will be accomplished within the Body of Christ?

11. What does it mean to be ‘in Christ’?

12. Why it is important for all ministers to be ‘in Christ’ in order to minister to God’s people?

13. What does the structure of the tabernacle in the Old Covenant represent in the New Covenant?

14. What are Moses, Aaron and his sons an illustration of in the New Covenant?

15. What were the functions of the sons of Gershom, Merari and Kohath in the Old Covenant?

16. What do the sons of Gershom, Merari and Kohath illustrate in the New Covenant?

► OBJECTIVES AND SUGGESTED QUESTIONS FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

These questions are simply suggestions of ways to stimulate student-teacher interaction and also ensure that the objectives of this lesson are understood. Encourage responses from the students. Be careful to listen for

1) errors in perspective,

2) understanding,

3) motive and intent, as it relates to their course of study.

This will prove extremely helpful as the Holy Ghost begins to destroy any erroneous mindsets in this or other lessons.

1. Explain how God works in dispensations in order to affect His purpose in the earth.

• What is a dispensation? A dispensation is a time period and the method that God uses in dealing with mankind during that time period.
• Name the dispensations mentioned in the lesson? The dispensations mentioned in the lesson are: innocence, conscience, human government, promise, law, grace and truth, and the millennium.

• When did or when will each of these dispensations begin?

Dispensation of Innocence was the time before Adam and Eve sinned.

Dispensation of Conscience began with the scattering of the people at the Tower of Babel.

Dispensation of Human Government began when the people became nations and God began dealing with them according to their governments.

Dispensation of Promise began with Abraham.

Dispensation of the Law began with the law being given to Moses by God.

Dispensation of Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ.

The Millennium will be the seventh and last dispensation.

• What is the present dispensation? We are presently in the Dispensation of Grace and Truth.

• How has God structured His Body during this dispensation? In this dispensation, God structured his body to be governed by apostolic order.

2. Define and explain the term ‘apostolic order’ using scripture to support God’s purpose inside of His government.

• What is apostolic order? Apostolic order is God’s government, which consists of the five-fold ministry gifts of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher.

• Where is this located in scripture?

Ephesians 4:11

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

• What is the purpose of the five-fold ministry? It is the purpose of the five-fold ministry to perfect the saints to work ministry and edify the body of Christ. This is to be done until the entire body comes into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and walks as a perfect man as Christ did.
• Where is this located in scripture?

Ephesians 4:12-13

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

• When apostolic order is in place, what will be accomplished within the Body of Christ? Following God’s method will destroy sin, divisions and diversities of beliefs in the church; all will be speaking the same thing, having one mind, one vision and one purpose.

3. Explain the importance of being ‘in Christ’ in order to minister to God’s people.

• What does it mean to be ‘in Christ’? Being ‘in Christ’ means to be born again; filled with the Holy Ghost, which is the Spirit of Christ.
• Why it is important that all ministers be ‘in Christ’ in order to minister to God’s people? Jesus is the only one God has ordained to speak to His people; therefore, anyone who speaks to the Body of Christ must be ‘in Christ’. In other words, Christ must be ‘in you’ and you must be ‘in Him’. You must be walking in the character of Christ and be led by Him in all manner of conversation (lifestyle). In this present dispensation of grace and truth, God is speaking to His people by His Son, Christ Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-2).

If Christ is not speaking through you, you have no message for the people of God.

4. Compare the establishing of the first priesthood in the Old Covenant to the structure of the present day Body of Christ.

• What does the structure of the tabernacle in the Old Covenant represent in the New Covenant? The structure of the tabernacle in the wilderness is a type of the present five-fold government and the ministry of helps in the Body of Christ.
• What are Moses, Aaron and his sons an illustration of in the New Covenant? Moses, Aaron and his sons were keepers of the people. In this dispensation, it is the Apostle and the other four gifts: the Prophet, the Pastor, the Teacher and the Evangelist, who are the keepers of the people.
• What were the functions of the sons of Gershom, Merari and Kohath in the Old Covenant? The sons of Gershon and Merari were keepers of the structure. The sons of Kohath were in charge of the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith thy minister, and the hanging and the service thereof.
• What do the sons of Gershom, Merari and Kohath illustrate in the New Covenant? They illustrate the ministry of helps.

LESSON ONE APOSTOLIC ORDER SELF-EVALUATION

The Self-Evaluation is designed to serve as a tool for you to examine how you are applying that which is taught in the lesson to your own individual life, and/or to further probe your knowledge and understanding of the lesson. Please answer honestly and thoroughly.

1. What do you believe is your main ministry gift? Explain

2. After studying this lesson, what do you see as necessary to be developed in your character in order to please Christ and fulfill your ministry? What do you feel is the detriment if this never changes?

3. As the Holy Spirit makes you a minister, what are some practical steps you plan to take to come into full submission to Him?