Apostolic Order

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 deliverance. They have structured the Body as it has pleased them. The operation of the present Church is not the handiwork of God. It is the confusion and chaos of men. THE LORD IS A GOD OF ORDER. This can be seen in the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness and in the establishing of the priesthood. The tribe of Levi numbered twenty-two thousand males. They were chosen to establish the first priesthood. 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.

For this cause we have deacons and ministries of helps in the church today. Every man is chosen to serve according to his several God-given abilities. These areas of responsibility were designed to bring order to 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. As the Old Covenant is our schoolmaster, it is beneficial for us to note the principles illustrated here.

1. ESTABLISHING THE FIVE-FOLD MINISTRY

It is quite useful for us to go back to the Old Covenant to extract some of the eternal principles pertaining to ministry. To do this we will start with Jethro’s advice to Moses concerning the people of God. At your leisure go back and read Exodus 18:13-26

Now this account is relative to the fact that Moses was trying to counsel over six hundred thousand men and their families. Jethro’s primary concern was for the physical well being of Moses and the people. He insisted that the task was too great for one man to handle. The same is true today. The task of leading and counseling the people of God is too much and too diversified for one person to handle. However, I want us to note the foundational counsel he gave Moses:

1. Be thou for the people to Godward, that thou mayest bring their causes unto God: In other words, always point the people of God to their God. Allow the Lord to judge their causes or cases.
2. And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws: Teach the people the Word of God. Keep it forever before them.
3. Shew them the way wherein they must walk: Teach them how to walk in the righteousness of God.
4. and the work that they must do: Show them the work they must do for the Lord.

These must be the attributes of the chief overseers of the people of God. They must have a mind to operate within the boundaries of the Word of God, never pointing the people to themselves. They must be willing to walk in the righteousness of God so that they will be living examples of that righteousness. Jethro went on to instruct Moses as to how to choose those who would help in ministering to the people.

1. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them. Notice the character of those who are to assist Moses. Able: spiritually fit for service. Fear God: they must have a fear of the Lord that will keep them from sinning against Him.

This is the beginning of wisdom. Men of Truth: they must love and respect the Word of God. Not covetous: must want nothing, having no private agenda. This must also be the character of those who purpose to serve in the Kingdom of God today.

II. INSTALLING THE GOVERNMENT

The Body of Christ is very similar to the nation of Israel as they came out of Egypt. We are the people of God, a holy nation unto God. Just as the Lord installed overseers over His people to teach them His laws and ways, the same is true today. The Body of Christ is not without government. This government is a group of men and women chosen by God to teach the Body the mind and heart of the Father. They are instructed to contend for the faith of the common salvation that was ordained from the beginning of the world. Let us consider

Ephesians 4:11-12

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

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

Again. But this time we will read it from the Amplified version.

Ephesians 4:11-12

11 And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers.

12 His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward the building up Christ’s body (the church),

The above passages identify the ministries placed in the Body to oversee its development. It is the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers who are the governing body of the Church. These gifts represent the spiritual government installed by the Father to develop and govern His people. They are charged with bringing the Body to perfection or in other words, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Sitting under these tutors should not leave us as children who are easily impressed by any doctrine or the cunning craftiness of men that are contrary to the truth. My brothers and sisters who carry the Word of God, I beseech you to allow this to be your reason for living. We should have no other agenda but to bring the people of God to perfection. We are not to become babysitters always feeding the flock with milk.

III. SETTING THE ORDER

Ephesians 4:5-11 identifies the government of God as the five-fold ministry gifts. However, the Lord takes this governmental body a little further in the book of I Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 12:28

28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly (and fourth), teachers (pastors & teachers) after that), (fifth) miracles, then gifts of healings, (evangelists) helps, governments, diversities of tongues. In this passage the Lord reveals the order in which the gifts are placed in the church. First the apostle, which means that the apostle’s anointing is the foundational gift and head of the body government. Now let us go back to Ephesians the 3rd chapter.

Ephesians 3:1-5

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 youward:

3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

Here Paul confirms the order in which the revelation of the mystery of God was given to the church. God revealed it first to His apostles and then, secondarily, to His prophets. It is the apostle who wears the foundational mantle for the ministry. It is the apostle who installs, establishes and maintains the order in the church. This can be seen in all the writings of the New Testament epistles. Below is a brief summary of the purpose of the gifts to the Body.

APOSTOLIC ORDER

The Apostle: Establishes and maintains the order.

The Prophet: Confirms the Word given to the church.

The Pastor: Feeds the Word to the congregation.

The Teacher: Further piece-meals the Word to the Body.

The Evangelist: Compels men to come to Christ.

Of course, there is more to these gifts than the points stated above, but these are the most essential distinctions. It is important that the principle of apostolic order be understood. I want you to visualize the human body. God has created the government in the Body of Christ in similar fashion to that of the human body. (See diagram on following page.)

CHRIST the head, the APOSTLE as the backbone, the PROPHET - one arm, the PASTOR - the other arm, the TEACHER - one leg and the EVANGELIST - the other leg.

Please make note here that the head is attached to the backbone alone and that the rest of the limbs are attached to the backbone. This illustration symbolizes the fact that the revelation of Christ is given to the apostle first, confirmed by the prophet and fed to the rest of the Body by the pastors, teachers and evangelists. Beloved, this is the order of God. It is His government. He will not exclude, overlook or disregard His order. The manna from heaven is going to come to His true apostles first and will be confirmed by His prophets. This is the method by which God chose to structure His government.

IV. A FRAGMENTED GOSPEL

Apostolic Order is God’s method of governing His Body. However, this method is not being followed by the Body today, which explains why there are so many different belief systems in the Body of Christ. When there is no apostolic order, pastors, teachers, evangelists and others can only rehash the same word over and over again. They do not receive new and deeper revelation of the scriptures. Therefore, men are simply defining Hebrew and Greek words and calling that revelation. The prophet is hearing his God and his own mind, for he has nothing to confirm or bear witness to. The apostles are running from church to church preaching but never establishing any order or government. They are never able to see an end result of the message, in the people they minister to.

Thus, some have become frustrated with their own ministry. When there is no established apostolic order another misfortune seems to overtake the apostle, the prophet, the pastors, evangelists and teachers. There seems to be a pattern of spiritualizing that carries whatever they have heard in the spirit to another dimension which borders on, and in some cases crosses the line of heresy. It is important for every minister of the gospel to know that this is the order of God and He will not deviate from it. THE TRUE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST IS GOING TO COME THROUGH THIS ORDER ONLY. Anything else is simply a fragmentation of the gospel. A fragmented gospel can get sinners saved but will not enable them to endure to the end. The fragmentation of the five-fold ministry has caused the Body of Christ to fail in its purpose to glorify the Father. The world is not sure of the Church being the manifold wisdom of God. It has seen division, wars, sin and iniquity that equals its own.

V. ALL SPEAKING THE SAME THING

It is the government of God in the Body that is to bring order and unity. Apostolic order guarantees that all will speak the same thing and come into a singleness of heart, mind and purpose. The early church all spoke the same things. The gospel was not fragmented. The apostles set the order and delivered the revelation of the mystery of God. They produced power in the people they ministered to. Many of the early Christians had power to become martyrs for the sake of the gospel. They denied themselves of the things of this life and submitted to a life of suffering and degradation as necessary, but moreover they demonstrated the power to live holy. Pastors, I challenge you to take a good look at what you preach and what it is producing. Are you really receiving fresh manna from heaven or are you teaching the same messages that have been taught for years with an added twist or flare? Have you been able to teach God’s people how to live and walk in His Spirit on a daily basis?

Be honest with yourself. Are you experiencing what seems to be a void in your knowledge and your service to God? Have you noticed that there is something missing, but you cannot seem to point it out? You find yourself desiring more, but what “it” actually is seems to evade you. There may be a word inside of you that you cannot seem to articulate. You may even teach bits and pieces of revelations that you have never heard anyone mention. Believe it or not, this is good. The Holy Ghost has created a hunger and thirst in you for the deeper things of God. If your motive for wanting to know the deeper truths is pure, God will lead you to the fountain that flows continuously with the manna from on high. He will lead you to sit under the mantle of a real apostle. He will lead you to apostolic order.