Kenneth E. Hagin - He Gave Gifts Unto Men - PDF

H E GAVE GIFTS UNTO MEN A Biblical Perspective of Apostles, Prophets, and Pastors Kenneth E. Hagin Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations in this volume are from the King James Version of the Bible. First Edition Second Printing 1993 ISBN 0-89276-517-8 In the U.S. write: In Canada write: Kenneth Hagin Ministries Kenneth Hagin Ministries P.O. Box 50126 P.O. Box 335 Tulsa, OK 74150-0126 Islington (Toronto), Ontario Canada, M9A 4X3 Copyright © 1992 RHEMA Bible Church AKA Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved Printed in USA The Faith Shield is a trademark of RHEMA Bible Church, AKA Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Inc., registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and therefore may not be duplicated. BOOKS By Kenneth E HAGIN Redeemed from the Curse of Sickness and Spiritual Death Prayer Believer (foreign only) * Authority of the * How To Turn Your Faith Loose The Key to Scriptural Healing Praying To Get Results The Present-Day Ministry of Jesus Christ The Gift of Prophecy Healing Belongs to Us The Real Faith How You Can Know the Will of God Man on Three Dimensions The Human Spirit Turning Hopeless Situations Around Casting Your Cares Upon the Lord Seven Steps for Judging Prophecy * The Interceding Christian Faith Food for Autumn * Faith Food for Winter Faith Food for Spring Faith Food for Summer * New Thresholds of Faith * Prevailing Prayer to Peace * Concerning Spiritual Gifts Bible Faith Study Course Bible Prayer Study Course The Holy Spirit and His Gifts * The Ministry Gifts (Study Guide) Seven Things You Should Know About Divine Healing El Shaddai Zoe: The God-Kind of Life A Commonsense Guide to Fasting Must Christians Suffer? The Woman Question The Believer's Authority Ministering to Your Family What To Do When Faith Seems Weak and Victory Lost Growing Up, Spiritually Bodily Healing and the Atonement Exceedingly Growing Faith Understanding the Anointing I Believe in Visions Understanding How To Fight the Good Fight of Faith Plans, Purposes, and Pursuits How You Can Be Led by the Spirit of God A Fresh Anointing The Art of Prayer Classic Sermons He Gave Gifts Unto Men: A Biblical Perspective of Apostles, Prophets, and Pastors The Price Is Not Greater Than God's Grace (Mrs. Oretha Hagin) MINIBOOKS (A Partial Listing * The New Birth * Why Tongues? * In Him * God's Medicine * You Can Have What You Say How To Write Your Own Ticket With God * Don't Blame God * Words Plead Your Case * How To Keep Your Healing The Bible Way To Receive the Holy Spirit I Went to Hell How To Walk in Love The Precious Blood of Jesus * Love Never Fails Learning To Flow With the Spirit of God The Glory of God Hear and Be Healed Knowing What Belongs to Us Your Faith in God Will Work BOOKS BY KENNETH HAGIN JR. * Man's Impossibility — God's Possibility Because of Jesus How To Make the Dream God Gave You Come True The Life of Obedience God's Irresistible Word Healing: Forever Settled Don't Quit! Your Faith Will See You Through The Untapped Power in Praise Listen to Your Heart What Comes After Faith? MINIBOOKS (A partial listing) * Faith Worketh by Love Blueprint for Building Strong Faith * Seven Hindrances to Healing * The Past Tense of God's Word Faith Takes Back What the Devil's Stolen "The Prison Door Is Open — What Are You Still Doing Inside?" How To Be a Success in Life Get Acquainted With God Showdown With the Devil Unforgiveness Ministering to the Brokenhearted *These titles are also available in Spanish. Information about other foreign translations of several of the above titles (i.e., Finnish, French, German, Indonesian, Polish, Russian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Chinese Mandarin, etc.) may be obtained by writing to: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, P.O. Box 50126, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74150-0126. Contents SECTION I: APOSTLES 1. Ranks or Classes of Apostles........................................... 1 2. Fourth Class of Apostle: Non-Foundational Apostles — 27 3. Characteristics of the Apostolic Call................................41 4. Qualifications for the Apostolic Ministry.........................57 SECTION II: PROPHETS 5. The Office of the Prophet Contrasted In Old and New Testaments........................................... 77 6. What Is a New Testament Prophet?................................. 91 7. Prophets Are Not To Guide and Direct New Testament Believers.............................................. 111 8. Performing in the Flesh vs. Ministering in the Spirit... 131 9. Foretelling Versus Forthtelling...................................... 152 10. God Does Not Put Novices In Positions of Authority ____ 172 SECTION III: PASTORS 11. Church Government.................................................... 187 12. The Pastor and the Local Church..................................208 13. Different Church Structures......................................... 236 14. Ministerial Accountability............................................. 249 Preface Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, is getting His Body ready for His soon return. That's why it is vital for those who are called to the ministry to function in their proper place in the Body of Christ. Some controversy has arisen in our day about the roles of the apostle and prophet in the Body of Christ. Some believers purport that these offices do not even exist today. Others take a radical viewpoint concerning the authority these offices hold in the local church over the pastor and over believers in general. This book is a scriptural look at the offices of the apostle, prophet, and pastor as they are to function in the Body of Christ today. These offices have never been taken out of the Body of Christ, but I believe God wants to bring biblical balance to this area of teaching. SECTION I APOSTLES Chapter 1 Ranks or Classes o f Apostles... When he [Jesus] ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and GAVE GIFTS UNTO MEN.... And he [Jesus] GAVE some, APOSTLES; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers. — Ephesians 4:8,11 And God HATH SET SOME IN THE CHURCH, first APOSTLES, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. — 1 Corinthians 12:28 Ministry Gifts: A Divine Call Five ministry gifts are mentioned in Ephesians 4:11. A ministry gift is resident within a person who is called by God to the full-time ministry to stand in one of these five ministry offices: apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher. Some people say that all the ministry gifts operate in the Church today except the offices of the apostle and the prophet. But where in Scripture does it say that God ever took those offices out of the Church or that the Church no longer needs these ministry gifts? Paul wrote this epistle to the Ephesians many years after the Church had its beginnings. So if God had taken the offices of the apostle and prophet out of the Church, Paul would have said, "God gave evangelists and pastors and teachers to the Church." But he didn't say that. God gave all five ministry gifts to the Church, and they have never ceased functioning. They are all in operation even in our day. The Bible tells us why and for how long the ministry gifts were given to the Church. 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 [spiritually mature] man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. These verses tell us three reasons ministry gifts were given to the Church: 1. For the perfecting of the saints. 2. For the work of the ministry. 3. For the edifying of the Body of Christ. Actually, the Greek indicates that the meaning is "perfecting of the saints so the saints can do the work of the ministry, resulting in the edification of the Body of Christ." Another translation says that God gave the fivefold ministry gifts "in order to get His holy people ready to serve as workers" (The New Testament in the Language of Today, William F. Beck). The Godspeed translation says God gave ministry gifts to the Church so the saints can "reach mature manhood, and reach that measure of development found in Christ." How long will ministry gifts be in the Church? Ephesians 4:13 says, "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect [spiritually mature] man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Don't let the words "perfecting" and "perfect" in verses 12 and 13 throw you. We will never be perfect or perfected in the flesh. As long as we are in these mortal bodies, we will not reach perfection in the sense that most people think of perfection. Actually, the word "perfect" here means mature or full manhood. The Bible is talking about spiritual maturity. The Church will always need ministry gifts — those called to the offices of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher — because as a body of believers, we are always in the process of growing toward the full stature of Christ. Even when Jesus returns, there will be those in the Body of Christ who just got saved and are still spiritual babes. There is an anointing that goes with every one of these fivefold ministry offices. And as ministers of God stand in these different offices, the anointing of the Holy Spirit is distributed in different measures and works differently in each office. But all the ministry gifts are for the edifying or the spiritual building up of the Body of Christ. There is an anointing upon each ministry gift — the full-time minister — that is not on the layman. No layman can take the place of these ministry gifts that God has set in the Church. Of course, laymen can witness for God and do much to further the growth of God's Kingdom. And in that general sense, everyone is in the ministry to serve as workers in the Body of Christ. But the ministry gifts are those people called to the full-time ministry, who are anointed by God to help equip and mature the saints. Unless we have the manifestation and operation of these ministry gifts in the Church, the saints will not mature, nor be equipped as they should to do the work of the ministry. Notice something else about the ministry gifts. In Ephesians 4:11, it says that Jesus gave these ministry gifts unto men. In First Corinthians 12:28, it says that God set the ministry gifts into the Church. God gave ministry gifts to man, and God set them in the Church — not man. There is a vast difference. You do not enter any phase of the ministry just because you want to, because someone told you to, or because someone prophesied to you. No man calls you to the ministry; it is a divine call. God alone sets men and women into ministry gift offices. Those whom God calls to the ministry, He equips for the ministry. God anoints those called to the ministry and gives them the spiritual ability to stand in whatever office He calls them to. As important as education and ambition are to success, we need more than education or ambition if we are going to be successful in the ministry. We need a ministry equipped with supernatural gifts — supernatural equipment. The ministry consists not in name, but in the power that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, bestows upon a person to stand in a ministry office. I get amused at folks who go around calling themselves by certain titles. Putting a label on something doesn't make it so. You can put a label on an empty can, but that doesn't put anything in the can! The Bible says the Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave ministry gifts to the Body of Christ. Yet some people presumptuously go around laying hands on others, supposedly putting them into these different ministry offices. That's impossible! I call it laying empty hands on empty heads! And it causes a problem in the Body of Christ because it encourages people to intrude into ministry offices for which they have no anointing and to which they have not been called. Friends, you can't intrude into a ministry office that you are not called to by God. It is dangerous to do so. It could cost you your life. I have seen ministers die young because they didn't do what God told them to do and tried to intrude into ministry offices to which they were not called. No one can "put" anyone else in a ministry office. God alone sets people into these offices. Other people may recognize and acknowledge such a calling, but it is God who calls and sets these ministry gifts in the Church. Sometimes you hear people say, "I want to work for God, but I don't know whether or not I'm called." If you don't know whether or not you are called to the ministry, you probably are not. You see, if you have the preach or teach in you, it's going to come out. You don't have to teach a rooster to crow; he just crows because it's in him! And if the preach or teach is in you, it's going to come out. Some people say, "I didn't have any call to the ministry. I just saw a need, so I fulfilled that need." Well, that might be true, but that doesn't put a person into one of these ministry offices. Actually, each of us should be able to minister to others. And there is a general sense, of course, in which every Christian is a preacher. Every layman ought to be a preacher because to preach means to proclaim or to tell the good news of the gospel. But that still does not qualify a person to stand in one of these ministry offices. To enter a ministry office requires a divine call. God gives the divine call to the ministry; He bestows the spiritual equipment for the ministry; and He requires certain qualifications of those in the ministry. The particular method by which God calls one to the ministry is unimportant. What is important is a person's obedience to the call of God. Divinely Granted Appearance In 1987 I had a visitation from the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to me and talked to me. The entire experience lasted two hours and fifty minutes. Some of the things the Lord talked to me about in that visitation are found in the book, Plans, Purposes, and Pursuits. In that visitation, Jesus talked to me about His plan for the New Testament Church, and how His plan for the Church in worship is different under the New Covenant than it was under the Old Covenant. Then He began to talk to me about some of His plans for the Church concerning ministry. His plan for the Church in ministry is also different under the New Covenant than it was under the Old Covenant. And in this discussion, He began to talk to me about the ministry gifts that He has set in the Church. In this book, I'm going to share with you some of the differences in Jesus' plan for the ministry under the New Covenant, especially regarding the offices of the apostle, prophet, and pastor. Shortly after the 1987 visitation, it seemed that controversy arose in different parts of the Body of Christ, particularly concerning the offices of the apostle and the prophet. Of course, Jesus knew the doctrinal errors that were about to surface in the Church. I believe He addressed these issues in order to maintain balance and to help keep ministers from getting in a ditch doc-trinally. You see, there is an element of truth in all doctrinal error. Usually the error occurs when people push biblical truths to the extreme. Actually, there has to be an elemerit of truth involved in these spiritual tangents or no one would believe them; the error would be too obvious. I'm against the extreme on any issue. People can even be extreme regarding faith. That's why I encourage people not to get into the ditch — into extremes and excesses — in any area. Just stay right in the middle of the road. Many of these errors about the offices of the apostle and the prophet are due to lack of correct teaching in this area. In the 1987 visitation, Jesus began talking about the office of the apostle. He said, "There are four classes or ranks of apostles. And within these different classes or ranks, apostles can have different degrees or measures of anointing." Jesus continued, "There are not only different classes of apostles, but there are also different classes of prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. And there are different degrees of anointings within these different classes." I think we have all seen people in these various offices, ministering under varying degrees of anointing. Even in the pastoral office, some pastors carry a different type or measure of anointing than others. And we see evangelists, prophets, and teachers with different degrees of anointing upon them. The same thing is true in the apostolic office. First Class of Apostle: Jesus Christ Of course, Jesus stands at the Head of the list in each of the fivefold ministry gifts. The Bible calls Jesus an apostle. The Greek word translated "apostle" also means a messenger, a sent one, or a commissioned one. Hebrews 3:1 says,.. consider the APOSTLE and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus." Jesus certainly was commissioned, wasn't He? Jesus stands at the Head of the list of sent ones. He is called an Apostle because in His earthly ministry He was a Sent One, a Messenger, and a Commissioned One to bring the good news of salvation to the world. Then Jesus called Himself a prophet (Matt. 13:57). He also stood in the evangelist's office because He proclaimed the good news of salvation (Luke 19:10). Jesus was a pastor; He called Himself the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-16). And He was a teacher; one of the main facets of Jesus' ministry was teaching people (Matt. 9:35). Jesus is in a class by Himself in each ministry gift. No one else will ever stand in that highest class because Jesus had the Spirit without measure (John 3:34). No other person ever has, nor ever will be anointed without measure. Believers have the Spirit by measure (Rom. 12:3). To say it another way, Jesus had a degree of anointing upon Him in His earthly ministry that no one else will ever have. Believers have a measure of that same anointing on them because they have the Holy Spirit. And it seems probable that the Body of Christ as a whole has the same measure of anointing Jesus had upon Him when He was upon the earth. But certainly no other individual has ever been or ever will be anointed to the same degree or in the same measure as Jesus was. This is not to confuse the issue of Jesus' deity. As a Person Himself, Jesus was the eternal Son of God, the second member of the Trinity. He was God the Son, manifested in the flesh. But when He came to this earth, He emptied Himself of all divine privileges (Phil. 2:5-8) and ministered as a man. In taking upon Himself a human nature, Jesus chose to surrender the independent exercise of His divine powers. At no time did Jesus ever cease being Deity, but He functioned as man anointed by the Holy Spirit. We can understand this further by realizing that Jesus, before His incarnation, existed co-equally and co-eternally with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He shared with them all the privileges of deity, such as omniscience (being all-knowing), omnipotence (being all-powerful), and omnipresence (being everywhere at once). When Jesus became the Babe of Bethlehem, He was Emmanuel, which means "God with us." He was God manifested in the flesh. He never ceased being God, nor did He lose His divinity, but He did lay aside certain privileges of deity and restricted Himself to certain human limitations. Although Jesus was divine and sinless, He did not function as one who was omniscient. Rather, He grew in wisdom (Luke 2:52). He did not function as one who was omnipotent; He said He could of His own self do nothing (John 5:19,30). He no longer functioned as one who was omnipresent, but was confined to a human body which later was nailed to the Cross and gloriously resurrected in the fulfilling of God's redemptive plan. So Jesus never ceased being Deity, but He chose to come to the earth as a Man, and He ministered under the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. But because He had the Spirit without measure (John 3:34), Jesus stands alone in a class by Himself in all five of the ministry gifts, including the office of the apostle. In the 1987 visitation, Jesus went on to tell me about the other classes or ranks of apostles. Second Class of Apostles: Apostles of the Lamb The twelve Apostles of the Lamb are in the second class of apostles. Jesus said to me, "The Apostles of the Lamb are in a class by themselves. No one else can ever be in that class because there are no more Apostles of the Lamb." In the Book of Revelation, the Word of God talks about the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. REVELATION 21:14 14 And the wall of the city had twelve FOUNDATIONS, and in them the names of the twelve APOSTLES OF THE LAMB. There are only twelve Apostles of the Lamb. And no one except the twelve apostles who companied with Jesus will ever stand in that second class of apostle. No one else could stand in that second class because the Apostles of the Lamb were sent ones for a specific time and purpose. For what purpose were those twelve apostles sent ones? Were they sent to govern churches? Emphatically, no! They were sent ones to be eyewitnesses of Jesus' life, earthly ministry, and resurrection. We see this in the Scriptures. Qualifications of the Apostles of the Lamb ACTS 1:15-22 15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) 16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. 17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. 18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field was called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. 20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take. 21 Wherefore of these men [notice the qualifications] WHICH HAVE COMPANIED WITH US ALL THE TIME THAT THE LORD JESUS WENT IN AND OUT AMONG US, 22 BEGINNING FROM THE BAPTISM OF JOHN, UNTO THAT SAME DAY THAT HE WAS TAKEN UP from us [Jesus' resurrection], must one be ORDAINED to be a WITNESS [or eyewitness] WITH US OF HIS RESURRECTION. The first and most obvious characteristic of the Apostles of the Lamb is that they were ministers of the gospel. That means they were first and foremost preachers and teachers of the Word. Second, we notice they were men who had.. com-panied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us" (v. 21). They had to be eyewitnesses of Jesus' earthly ministry. Third, the twelve Apostles of the Lamb had to be sent ones for the purpose of being eyewitnesses of Jesus' resurrection: "... ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection" (v. 22). In other words, the Apostles of the Lamb had to be men who were with Jesus during His earthly ministry and had witnessed His resurrection. That is why the twelve Apostles of the Lamb are in a class by themselves. In the 1987 visitation, Jesus called this second class of apostle — the Apostles of the Lamb — foundational apostles because God used them to help lay down New Testament doctrine (Eph. 2:20). And some of them wrote various Books of the Bible. You remember that when Judas betrayed Jesus, the apostles had to select another man to take his place. This man had to be someone who had been among them and had also been an eyewitness of Jesus' ministry and resurrection. Matthias was chosen to take Judas' place. Some people say that when the apostles chose Matthias to take Judas' place, they missed God because Paul should have been chosen and included as an Apostle of the Lamb. But Paul couldn't qualify as an Apostle of the Lamb because he was not an eyewitness of Jesus' ministry; Paul wasn't even born again when Jesus walked upon the earth. Paul didn't go in and out and company with Jesus and His disciples during the three years of Jesus' earthly ministry. And Paul was not an eyewitness of Jesus' resurrection. There are also those who say that there were only twelve apostles and that the apostolic office ceased with those twelve apostles. In other words, they say that the Apostles of the Lamb are all the apostles there ever will be in the Body of Christ. But go back and read the New Testament again, and you'll find that there were approximately twenty people called apostles or "sent ones." (For further study on this subject, see Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin's book, The Ministry Gifts.) Therefore, the office of the apostle did not cease with the Apostles of the Lamb. Third Class of Apostle: Other Foundational Apostles The third class of apostle is the rank or class of apostle that Paul was in. A characteristic of apostles in this class is that they also helped lay the doctrinal foundation of the New Testament. In the 1987 visitation, Jesus also said to me, "Foundational apostles are found in the second and third class of apostles. Apostles and prophets of that rank or level were anointed to lay down the doctrine of the New Testament." Apostles and prophets of the second and third class are to be considered foundational apostles and prophets because the gospel of the New Testament was revealed to them. Paul was in that third class of foundational New Testament apostles and prophets. He wrote a large portion of the New Testament, and he wasn't taught the revelation of the mystery of Christ by man; he received it from the Holy Spirit. EPHESIANS 3:4,5 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. Paul preached the revelation of the gospel to the early New Testament saints, so we don't need to lay any other foundation. We only need to build upon the foundation which has already been laid for us in the New Testament. EPHESIANS 2:19,20 19Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 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. The Church — the Body of Christ — is built on the foundation that the apostles and prophets already laid down for us in the New Testament. Now we are to build on that foundation. 1 CORINTHIANS 3:10 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. No one is receiving additional revelation to add anything to the foundation of the gospel today, because we already have the revelation of the New Testament. Paul said, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:8). Paul warned that we are to take heed how we build upon the foundation that has already been laid (1 Cor. 3:10). We can't add to it or take away from it. No Foundational Apostles Today Then in the visitation, Jesus said something very interesting to me. He said, "There are no foundational apostles and no foundational prophets today. There are n o apostles or prophets today on the same level or authority or in the same rank or with the same degree of anointing as the apostles and prophets of the Early Church. No one in the Church today is in the second or third class." You see, when Jesus appeared to me in 1987, I didn't know exactly why He was explaining these things to me. But since Jesus talked to me in that visitation, I have become aware of errors surfacing in the Body of Christ, particularly on the issue of apostles and prophets. Then I could readily understand why Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, discussed these major doctrinal issues at such length. We will look at some of these modern-day errors in the light of the Scriptures. First, some people today claim that in order to have proper New Testament church government, the fivefold ministry must operate in every local church and make up the government of each local church. (We'll discuss this error later in this book.) Second, this erroneous teaching says that since apostles are listed first in the list of ministry gifts in Ephesians 4:11, that means they are preeminent over all the other ministry gifts. Supposing apostles are preeminent, some people assume that apostles should govern all the other ministry gifts in the local body, including the pastor. Third, they teach that modern-day apostles and prophets are still supposed to be laying down New Testament doctrine and foundation. And they claim if you don't have an apostle governing your church and a prophet guiding your church, you don't have a correct New Testament foundation. I believe this is why Jesus said so emphatically to me in the visitation, "There are no foundational apostles and prophets today." Jesus knew this error would be surfacing in the Body of Christ. Jesus went on to explain that if there were apostles and prophets in our day who were on the same rank or level as Paul, for example, they could add to the doctrine of the New Testament. You see, some folks today have gone to the extreme in what they teach about the apostolic office and have gotten off into error. In the first place, it is not scriptural that additional foundation has to be laid in the Church today. Jesus Christ is the Chief Cornerstone. If we need apostles today to lay another foundation, then we need another cornerstone because the cornerstone is part of the foundation! You can see how absurd that is. No, we have the same gospel, the same Christ, and the same foundation that was laid for us by the foundational apostles and prophets, and we are just building upon that sure foundation. Think about it. You would never get a house built if you had to continually lay the foundation again and again. If you put the foundation in one week and took it out the next week to lay a new foundation, you'd never get the house built. No, you've got to leave the foundation in place and keep building upon it. That's the reason Jesus told me there are no foundational apostles or prophets today; the foundation has been laid, and it is a sure foundation — one that the Church today can securely build upon. Besides, no one in the Church today is even in the third class of apostle. If they were, they could add to the New Testament. But no one can because people today do not have the degree of anointing to stand in that office and to add additional doctrine to the Church. Second, this doctrine is in error because it is erroneous to assume that apostles are listed first in Ephesians 4:11 and First Corinthians 12:28 because they are the most important ministry gift. They are not listed first to indicate that they are to rule over all the other ministry gifts. We need to understand how ministry gifts evolved in the Early Church to help us understand why Paul probably listed them in that order. The Church in Infancy And the Evolution of Ministry By not rightly dividing the Word of God, some people have misrepresented the office of the apostle and taken it to the extreme. Anything taken to extreme is in error. People need to interpret Scripture in the light of other Scripture on the same subject. Therefore, in order to rightly divide the Word of truth on any subject, people need to take all the scriptures on a given subject and study them in the light of all the Bible has to say on that subject. By assuming the apostle is listed first because it is preeminent over all the other ministry gifts, some people are going from church to church in a dictatorial attitude declaring that they are apostles and demanding that people and churches submit to them. Obviously, in the establishing of the universal Church following the resurrection of Jesus, the apostles and prophets were of primary importance because they brought forth the revelation of the New Testament that is the foundation upon which the Church in all generations is to be established. However, in terms of the operation of the local church today, First Corinthians 12:28 could not be referring to the offices of apostles and prophets as the most important offices or the governing offices with the local church, because Paul listed governments as an entirely separate category. Therefore, Paul couldn't be listing ministry gifts in their order of importance within the local church, because in the passage in First Corinthians 12:28, Paul lists teachers third. However, in Ephesians 4:11 he lists the office of the teacher last. That's not consistent. Also, assuming that "governments" is the pastoral office, in First Corinthians 12:28 Paul lists the ministry of helps before the pastoral office. If he were listing them by their importance in the local church today, then the teacher and the helps ministry would have authority over the pastor in the local assembly! That's not scriptural. And according to the list in Ephesians 4:11, that means the evangelist would be in authority over the pastor in the local body! That isn't biblical, particularly because the evangelist's ministry is usually not a stationary ministry in the local church; it is usually more of a roving ministry to the unsaved outside of the church. So we can readily see that Paul does not list the ministry gifts in their order of importance in the local church today. Neither was he establishing the hierarchy for local church government by the order in which the ministry gifts were listed. No, the office of the apostle was not listed first because it is the most important office in the local body and is supposed to rule over all the other ministry gifts. Actually, in Ephesians 4:11 and First Corinthians 12:28, it would seem logical that Paul listed these offices in that order by the way God "set" or developed the ministry gifts in the Early Church. The Early Church didn't have the fivefold ministry to begin with because it takes time for God to develop ministries and ministers. And God doesn't put novices in positions of authority or in ministry offices because He won't violate His own Word (1 Tim. 3:6). So for a time, the apostolic ministry was the only ministry in operation in the Early Church. Therefore, the apostolic office was the first ministry gift that was initially evident in the Early Church. The twelve Apostles of the Lamb were the only ministers in the beginning days of the Early Church. These men had companied with Jesus in His earthly ministry (Acts 1:21). They were chosen by God, and the Holy Spirit had equipped and qualified them as ministers of the gospel. The apostles seemed to have the ability to operate in all the ministry gifts to some degree. And, really, they needed that ability because the Church was in its infancy stages and no other ministry gift had developed in the Church yet. It would also be safe to say that they ministered prophetically to some degree, and they did minister evangelistically as well. There was also an element of pastoral oversight, and we know for certain that they taught the Word. Apostles, however, did not remain as the only min- istry gift in the Church. As time progressed, those who ministered as prophets also began to appear. The prophets spoke by inspired utterance. The scriptures don't give us much detail on this subject, but we do know that the ministry of the prophet was well estab- lished by the time the account in Acts 13:1 occurred: "Now there were in the church that was at Antioch cer- tain PROPHETS _______ " Similarly, the Scriptures don't give us the exact beginning of the evangelist's ministry. However, we see the office of the evangelist first mentioned in Acts 8 in Philip's ministry. By then the Church had already been in existence for many years, and there had been time for the Holy Spirit to develop the ministry of the evangelist in the Church. Pastors or shepherds were raised up as the Church grew and believers matured spiritually (Acts 14:23; 15:2; 20:28). And the ministry of the teacher was developed in the Early Church as believers were trained and instructed in doctrine (Acts 2:42; 13:1). Another reason it is erroneous to exalt the apostle's office above all others is that even in the Early Church, the apostles didn't govern all the churches — even churches they had helped to establish. Paul only had spiritual oversight of churches while he was establishing them. But he had no oversight in the church at Jerusalem or any other church whatsoever. Once he left a church he had established, he delegated oversight to others (Acts 20:28). After leaving, Paul did respond to questions the Church asked, and he offered godly input to them. But he did not control or govern them. I don't really like to use the words "spiritual authority," in reference to the apostolic office because that gives the idea that apostles rule and govern people and churches, and they don't. But the point is that in First Corinthians 12:28 when Paul said,.. God hath SET some in the church... he was probably referring to the order in which God "set" or developed ministry gifts in the Early Church. Another error in this doctrine is a teaching which says that all the ministry gifts make up the "government" of the local church, and each church, regardless of its size, is to be ruled by the fivefold ministry. Again, people haven't rightly divided the Word. They haven't distinguished between the Church as a whole — the universal Body of Christ — and the local church. In the Church as a whole, we will find all five ministry gifts in operation. But every local church will not have all five ministry gifts operating in its assembly. These misconceptions really put the Body of Christ into bondage instead of liberating believers. The Bible says that the Word of God will set us free (John 8:32), not bring us into bondage. You see, if we aren't careful, we can have misconceptions on both sides of this issue. We can get in the ditch on one side and deny the true office and function of the apostle. Or we can get in a ditch on the other side and give the apostolic office unlimited preeminence and authority. Those who give the apostolic office too much preeminence and claim to stand in that office, seem to take the attitude, "I'm an apostle! You've got to do what I say because in order to have correct New Testament government, the local church has to be governed by apostles." Actually, I can't find anywhere in the New Testament that there is any higher office in the local church than the pastoral office. I don't see anywhere in the New Testament where apostles ruled over pastors and other ministry gifts. These unscriptural teachings that apostles and prophets are to rule and govern people and churches are not new. I've been in the ministry more than fifty-seven years, and I've seen these same unscriptural teachings in the Body of Christ before. These errors run in cycles. They crop up in every generation in the Church and have to be dealt with. You see, another generation will come up that hasn't been taught the truth of God's Word on a particular subject, and they'll get off in a ditch in an area and get off-balance scripturally. In every generation God has to raise up someone in church leadership to deal with these issues. God raised up Donald Gee in the 1930s to deal with this same extreme teaching on apostles in his book, The Ministry-Gifts of Christ, which is now out of print. Donald Gee was one of the pioneers and great teachers of the Pentecostal Movement. Then we had the same problem surface again in the Body of Christ in the 1950s. Gordon Lindsay addressed it again in his book, Apostles, Prophets and Governments, and the problem died down. Lindsay was the founder of the Bible school, Christ For The Nations, and he published the magazine, The Voice of Healing. Almost all the leading healing evangelists of the day published their articles in this magazine. Because Donald Gee and Gordon Lindsay were respected leaders in the Church, and their books were scripturally balanced, they stopped much of the wrong doctrine that had surfaced back then. There was a real revival in those days, and that's usually when the devil starts all of these spiritual tangents to try to stop the move of God. He diverts believers by getting them off in spiritual error, trying to abort the real move of God's Spirit. In our day, a new generation has grown up in the Church. And this same controversy has resurfaced in the Body of Christ, so it has to be addressed again. I tried to get God to have someone else do it, but He said, "No, you do it." That's the reason for this book. I will quote from Gordon Lindsay's book, Apostles, Prophets and Governments from time to time in this book, because it amplifies what I believe and his insights help explain some of the things the Lord said to me in that visitation. But one reason these errors have occurred again in our day is that people try to give the apostolic office of today the same status as the second or third class of apostle in the days of the Early Church. But it simply does not have the same status. Now there is no doubt at all that some folks in our day could rightly be called apostles in the fourth class. (We will discuss the fourth class of apostle in the next chapter.) But a fellow who goes around broadcasting to everyone that he is an apostle, probably isn't one. If you are a minister, I would encourage you to let others call you what they will based on the spiritual endowments or equipment and fruit they see manifested in your life and ministry. Let's just rejoice to see the ministry gifts in manifestation and glory in the work the Lord is doing in the Body of Christ without being concerned about titles. Chapter 2 Fourth Class o f Apostle: Non-Foundational Apostles Although there are no apostles and prophets of the second or third rank in the Body of Christ today, there is a fourth class of apostle. There are those in the Church today who stand in the apostolic office in a measure. They are sent ones, but they are in a lesser class than those in the Early Church. They are in this fourth class of apostles. Evidently the word "apostle" was more widely used in the days of the Early Church than it is now, and people understood its meaning. But since it is a word we don't use much today, people have misunderstood it. Even words today sometimes are used generally and at other times are used specifically. You see, we can miss certain truths the Bible is trying to get across to us when we build spiritual air castles about some of these things, including misconceptions and unfounded ideas about the apostolic office. Then the Lord has to come along and knock down our air castles and correct us, and some people get mad about it. For instance, let me point out something to you. The Greek word "apostle" is translated from the word "apos-tolos" meaning a sent one. In Philippians 2:25, Paul talks about Epaphroditus as the Philippians' messenger. The Greek word used here translated as messenger is the word "apostolos." PHILIPPIANS 2:25 25 Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epa- phroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellow-soldier, but your MESSENGER, and he that ministered to my wants. By using the word "messenger," Paul was calling Epaphroditus an apostle. But Epaphroditus probably didn't stand in the office of the apostle in the specific sense we think of it today. As the word "apostle" is used here, it means one sent out as a delegate or representative or as the commissioned representative of a congregation.1 Of course, Epaphroditus was not an apostle on the same rank or level as Paul. He was not an apostle of the second or third rank even though he was in the Early Church because he did not lay New Testament doctrine or foundation. Any apostolic ministry Epaphroditus may have fulfilled would have been in the fourth class. As Paul used the word "apostle" here, he probably used it in the general sense, meaning that the church sent Epaphroditus, much as you would send a delegate to a convention or a meeting. Epaphroditus was an apostle, messenger, or delegate sent from the Philippians, perhaps to simply assist Paul in the ministry. As a messenger or delegate, it does not appear that Epaphroditus occupied the full sphere of the apostolic office as Paul did. Paul was not only a messenger, but he also had the spiritual anointing or ability to start churches. Paul also had the spiritual ability and equipment enabling him to be responsible for the oversight of those churches until the pastoral office could be filled in that local church. We have no record that Epaphroditus started any churches; therefore, he had no specific apostolic ministry toward any churches. Actually, the word "apostle" was also used even in secular Greek writing. In other words, people who didn't even know God were called apostles. In the classical Greek, the word "apostle" used as a noun meant a commissioned messenger or an ambassador. Used as a verb it means to send off or out. A person who was sent to do a specific job was called an apostle because he was sent specifically to accomplish a certain task. Therefore, there may be those in the Body of Christ today who stand in the apostolic office in a measure as those sent out with a message. They are commissioned by the Holy Spirit to bring a specific message or ministry along a certain scriptural 25 26 He Gave Gifts Unto Men line to the Body of Christ. They are in the fourth class of apostle. But bear in mind that all those who stand in the office of apostle regardless of rank or class are first of all preachers or teachers of the Word, just like everyone who is called to the ministry. Or they may be both a preacher and a teacher. But then they also have a special call on them to fulfill a special job or bring a certain message to the Body of Christ. Modern-Day Missionaries Many of our modern-day missionaries are in the fourth class of apostles if they are sent out by the Holy Ghost. Those sent out by missionary boards may be doing the work of a missionary, but that doesn't necessarily qualify them spiritually as an apostle. In other words, the word "apostle" in this class implies one who is sent out or commissioned by the Holy Spirit, not merely one who goes. Actually, a true missionary is a sent one by the Holy Ghost with a message to people in certain countries. Marvelous things happen in those countries as a result of some of these ministries. Some missionaries not only go to a country with a message, but they have the ability to establish churches too. Those today who are really called and sent by God to establish new works in other countries are apostles, because one of the main characteristics of an apostle's ministry is that he establishes churches and pioneers new works. For example, Paul established many of the Gentile churches we read about in the Book of Acts. Missionaries today are doing the work of the apostle if they not only have the ability to get people saved as the evangelist does, but they also have the ability to start and establish churches. Then once people are saved, an apostle also has the God-given ability and the spiritual qualities to pastor, nurture, teach, and establish people in the Word. He stays with the work long enough to get it established and then may go on to pioneer other new works. Over the years, I've seen folks who went from city to city and established good churches everywhere they went. That was their call, and it is part of the apostle's office. The ministry of the apostle has been in the Body of Christ all the time, but we've just called them missionaries or church planters. Really, the title is not the main issue; the function is. In the early days of the Pentecostal Movement, I remember one particular fellow who could rightly be called an apostle. In a short period of time he established fifty churches in the country where God sent him. No doubt he was an apostle to that country. Fourth Class of Apostle: Non-Foundational Apostles 27 Years ago I heard a Full Gospel preacher say that he had spent seven years in a certain country where he had tried to establish a church. After seven years, the most he ever had in his congregation was thirty-seven people, and thirty-five of those were children he had picked up off the streets. He got so discouraged, he came back to America, deciding never to return to the mission field. But he got to praying, and God got ahold of him. God showed him where his problem was. He hadn't known his rights and privileges in Christ and how to appropriate the promises in God's Word. When he began to understand his inheritance in Christ and how to believe God, God sent him back to that country. After a period of time, he came back to preach in America, and that's when I heard him. He said, "In this past year, we've had 270,000 people saved, 70,000 filled with the Holy Spirit, and in one year's time, we have built 80 churches." That was in one year! His fruitful ministry along this line indicated the apostolic call on his life. You see, he fulfilled the function of the apostle; he wasn't necessarily concerned about the title "apostle." Pastors Who Stand in the Apostolic Office As I said, the word "apostle" seems to have a much broader sense than we have given it. I think that's one reason we have gotten into error in this area; we haven't understood the full scope of the office. An apostle in the fourth class can be a messenger, a representative, an ambassador of the gospel, a missionary, or one who is sent out on a special mission with a special message. Sometimes in our day we seem to have the idea that there are very few apostles, when many of them have been standing in that office all the time. We just haven't called them that. For example, a pastor can sometimes stand in the apostolic office in a measure in this fourth class if he is sent by the Holy Ghost to build a church in a certain city. In that sense, he is a sent one to that city or community with a message. Of course, not every pastor sent to a city would qualify as an apostle. He would also have to possess the other characteristics and spiritual qualities of the apostolic call operating in his life and ministry, which we'll cover later. Even so, a true pastor called to start a work for God wouldn't advertise himself as an apostle. He wouldn't be concerned with labels. His motives would not be to lift himself up, but to complete what God has sent him to do. In Acts 1:20, we see some indication that a pastor can stand in a measure in the office of the apostle. You remember that Judas had fallen through transgression, and another had to be chosen to take his place. ACTS 1:20 28 He Gave Gifts Unto Men 20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his [Judas'] habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his BISHOPRICK let another take. The word "bishoprick" indicates the office of the bishop. In First Timothy 3:1,2, Paul calls pastors "bishops." 1 TIMOTHY 3:1,2 1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a BISHOP [pastor or overseer], he desireth a good work. 2 A BISHOP [pastor or overseer] then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach. The word "bishop" is the Greek work "episkopos," which is translated bishop or overseer. The overseer of the local church is the pastor (Acts 20:28). A pastor may build one church, and he may even be sent to a particular city or group of people with a message. In that sense he is standing in the office of the apostle in a measure because he is a sent one by the Holy Ghost with a message. His message is always the gospel. Then you can see how absurd it is when some young upstart comes to a pastor who is standing in that apostolic office even in a measure, and says, "You don't have the right church government. You don't have an apostle in authority over you." In the first place, that's not scriptural. A pastor doesn't need an apostle over him. In the second place, he may well be an apostle himself in a limited measure! Now a pastor might not be an apostle to the Church at large. But if God sent him, he could be an apostle, a sent one, to that city and to that local church. However, as a sent one, that would not give the pastor authority over everyone in that city or over other churches. But his call would be accompanied by the divine ability to establish and oversee that local church. This is a broader meaning of the word "apostle" than we have thought. And in our day, sad to say, some folks have taken advantage of the ignorance of some people to mislead them by calling themselves apostles, so they could exercise authority over others. The Greek word that is most commonly translated "apostle" is apostolos. The verb is sometimes used with the same meaning: to send one on a mission as an envoy. It can mean a delegate; specifically an ambassador of the gospel. Used as a verb the word "apostle" means to send. The word for "bishoprick" in Acts 1:20 referring to the Apostles of the Lamb is overseer. So we can see a relationship between these two words — apostle and overseer. And we can see by observation in the New Testament that there was an element of pastoral oversight in the apostolic ministry, as the apostles were getting churches established. Fourth Class of Apostle: Non-Foundational Apostles 29 In the classical Greek, the word was commonly used. Greek writings talk about "apostles of Zeus," or those who were sent out to represent the gods. Biblically, apostles were sent out to represent the true God. The Bible uses the word "apostle" to get across the idea that there are those who are especially sent to do a work for God. They may even be overseers, which refers to the pastoral office. Do we have an example in the Scriptures of an overseer — a pastor — standing in the office of the apostle? Yes, we do. Paul called James, the Lord's brother, an apostle. Paul said, "But other of the APOSTLES saw I none, save JAMES the Lord's brother" (Gal. 1:19). James wasn't one of the original apostles. He didn't even believe Jesus was the Son of God when Jesus was here on the earth. The Bible indicates that Jesus appeared to James in a vision (1 Cor. 15:7). But in Acts 15 we can see that when a meeting was called of the elders and apostles to determine church doctrine, James was the overseer of that Jerusalem meeting (Acts 12:17; Acts 15:13). It seems that James headed up or pastored the Jerusalem church, yet he was called an apostle. Other Non-Foundational Apostles Therefore, we will find the fourth class of apostolic ministry operating in a measure in the Body of Christ in the sense of "one sent forth" by the Holy Spirit to do a certain job, or to bring a certain emphasis along a biblical line of truth to the Body of Christ. It is not so important that the ministry is in title, but it is important that it is in demonstration and power (1 Cor. 2:4). From time to time God sends someone to the Church with a message to stir believers up along a certain scriptural line. The person is sent just to do that So we find apostles in this fourth class who are especially called of God with certain messages and ministries to the Church at large — the Body of Christ. For instance, there is no doubt that God called Smith Wigglesworth as a sent one to the Body of Christ as "an apostle of faith." Wigglesworth was raised up by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of teaching the Church about faith. In that sense, he was an apostle — a sent one — to the Church, and faith was his scriptural message to the Body of Christ. Several years ago I visited with an Assemblies of God minister from Great Britain, and he told me that he had known Wigglesworth personally. Wigglesworth had preached his last sermon in this man's church. He told me, "I personally know of twenty-three people who were raised from the dead under Wigglesworth's ministry." This wasn't hearsay; this man personally knew of these cases. Wigglesworth never called himself an apostle. He was wise in not doing so. Others called him an "apostle of faith." What 30 He Gave Gifts Unto Men does that mean? Did that mean Wigglesworth had authority over other ministry gifts in the Body of Christ? No. It just meant he was a sent one to bring a message to the Body of Christ and to do a certain work for God. Wigglesworth was raised up by God to build up, edify, and benefit the Body of Christ along a particular scriptural line — teaching and demonstrating faith. And solid, scriptural works were started from his revivals on every inhabited continent of the earth. In that sense we have apostles today who are sent forth just to emphasize one particular message to the Body of Christ. These ministries are not called to exercise authority over others or lay any more foundation to the New Testament. I saw apostolic ministries in operation when I came over among the Pentecostals, even though we didn't call them that. These were people who not only were sent out with a message, but also had the ability to start churches. For example, there was a woman evangelist who pioneered new works throughout north and northeast Texas. Her husband got saved in one of her meetings; he was a building contractor. He had the ability to lead singing, so he quit his business and led the singing in their revival meetings and took care of the preliminaries. This was in the '30s and '40s, and many towns back then didn't have any Full Gospel churches of any kind in that area. But even in Depression Days, this woman and her husband would go into these different towns and hold open-air meetings all summer long. This woman would preach two or three weeks, and maybe only one or two people would attend the meetings. But she just kept on preaching, and her husband sang, and finally a few more people would start coming to the meetings. She would preach about salvation, and people would get saved. Actually, she could get more people saved accidentally than most people could on purpose. Finally word got around, and many people would come to the meetings and get saved. Since her husband was a contractor, they would stay in a place long enough to erect a church building and she would start a church. But she told me, "If I stayed more than two years in any one place, the work would start to fail because I'm not called to be a pastor. So I would just stay long enough to start a church, and then I would turn it over to a pastor." This woman started many churches, and some of those churches are still in existence today after fifty or sixty years because she established them on a solid scriptural foundation. There is no doubt in my mind that she was operating in the apostolic office in a measure, even though she was really considered to be an evangelist. Fourth Class of Apostle: Non-Foundational Apostles 31 She operated in the apostolic office in a measure. Once she had established a church and had turned it over to a pastor, she and her husband just went on to start another church somewhere else. In other words, she was a church pioneer. Apostles are very often pioneers of new works. Throughout my years of ministry, I've never seen anyone who has fit the qualifications of those in the second or third class of apostle. And after Jesus spoke to me in the 1987 visitation, I understood why I haven't. We won't see that class in the Body of Christ today. But I have seen those who fit the qualifications of the fourth class of apostle. I saw others whom God called and sent to fulfill certain functions in the Body of Christ or to fulfill a special ministry along a certain scriptural line. In that sense, they were "sent ones." But they didn't go around calling themselves apostles. That's where people make a mistake. It's not necessary to give people titles; we all just need to be faithful to do what God has called us to do. Some of these people weren't apostles in the fullest sense. But they did stand in that office in a measure because they were sent ones to bring a special message or to carry out a special ministry to the Body of Christ. Actually, throughout church history, God has raised up people and sent them to spearhead revivals and to do other mighty works for Him. And in that sense, we could probably legitimately call them "apostles" in this lesser class. I remember one fellow in particular in the early days of the Pentecostal Movement who seemed to have a ministry of getting people filled with the Holy Ghost. For that reason, pastors from all over the area would invite him to come to their churches. Many pastors told me, "He just seems to have the supernatural ability to get people baptized in the Holy Ghost. Everywhere he goes, people are filled with the Spirit." In other words, he was a messenger to the Body of Christ teaching specifically about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There are others who are special messengers along other scriptural lines. We need all of them in the Body of Christ. I believe there are ministers who have been operating in a measure in some form of the apostolic office, but people have been so religiously brainwashed, they haven't recognized it. The Body of Christ needs to be aware of this scriptural office and its function, so valid ministers can operate in the full sphere to which they are called by God. 1 Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Paternoster Press: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1985), p. 70. 32 He Gave Gifts Unto Men Chapter 3 Characteristics o f the Apostolic Call The Bible gives certain general characteristics that are true for anyone who is called to the apostolic office regardless of rank or class. If a person's life and ministry does not possess these general characteristics, I would seriously doubt the true nature of the apostolic call in his life. Called and Separated by God; Confirmed by Man Using Paul's ministry as a biblical example of an apostle, we can see that a person needs to be called by God before his call to the apostolic ministry is ever confirmed by man. We can see the truth of this principle when Paul was separated by the Holy Ghost to the apostolic ministry in Acts chapter 13. ACTS 13:1-4 1 Now there were in the church that was at Anti-och certain PROPHETS and TEACHERS; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul [or Paul]. 2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the HOLY GHOST said, SEPARATE ME Barnabas and Saul FOR THE WORK whereunto I HAVE CALLED THEM. 3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So they, being SENT FORTH by the HOLY GHOST [an apostle is a sent one], departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. I want you to see the progression of Paul's ministry here. These scriptures give us a list of five men. These men were each either a prophet or a teacher, or a prophet and a teacher. We gather from the Scriptures that Barnabas was a teacher not a prophet, because a prophet is one who has visions and revelations. We have no indication from the Scriptures that Barnabas had any visions or revelations. On the other hand, Paul was a prophet and a teacher. We know Paul was a prophet because he wrote almost half of the New Testament, and he received it by revelation. Remember Paul said, "How that BY REVELATION he made known unto me the mystery... " (Eph. 3:3). So up until this time, this was the extent of Paul and Barnabas' ministries — Barnabas was a teacher, and Paul was a prophet and a teacher. And by this time, both Paul and Barnabas had been in the ministry for some time. But neither Paul nor Barnabas had stepped into the apostolic office until they were separated and sent out by the Holy Ghost for the work God had for them, which was the apostolic ministry. We know it was the apostolic ministry Paul and Barnabas were called to because the Bible says they were "sent forth" by the Holy Ghost for the work He had called them to: "So they, being SENT FORTH by the Holy Ghost... " (Acts 13:4). Then the Scriptures go on to tell about the apostles' first missionary journey. And later on that first missionary journey, the Scriptures call both Paul and Barnabas "apostles" (Acts 14:14). But I want you to see something in Acts 13:2. Paul and Barnabas were called to the apostolic ministry by God from the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). But in this passage of Scripture that call was confirmed by man by prophecy and the laying on of hands. In other words, Paul and Barnabas didn't receive their call to the apostolic ministry that day by men when hands were laid on them. Paul and Barnabas just received the confirmation of the apostolic call through men by the laying on of hands and prophecy. The Holy Spirit separated them to the work God had already called them to. How do we know that? Because notice the Holy Ghost didn't say, "Separate unto me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I am calling them." No! He said,.. Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I HAVE CALLED them" (Acts 13:2). That is past tense. It is past tense because the Holy Spirit had already spoken to Paul and Barnabas about their call to the apostolic office. This prophetic utterance was just a confirmation of the apostolic call God had already placed on their lives. You won't find anywhere in the New Testament where believers are called and separated to a ministry office by people. Sometimes God may use people to confirm the call a person already has in his own spirit, but people can't call or set anyone into the ministry. Sometimes people say, "But God used me to prophesy to someone that he was going to be used in the such-and-such a ministry." God may occasionally use someone to prophesy that a person will eventually be used in a certain way by the Holy Ghost. But no one can give spiritual gifts or bestow ministry gifts on people through prophecy. Some people today are trying to put people into the ministry through the laying on of hands and prophecy! That's impossible and unscriptural. We had an outbreak of this in 1949. The people involved in this movement were scriptural in many areas, but there was some error in their doctrine. Many times ninety percent of what a person teaches can be scriptural. But ten percent can be poisonous, and it can still be 33 34 He Gave Gifts Unto Men very damaging to you spiritually. That's why you need to have enough Bible sense to rightly divide the Word of truth. You need to divide or learn to separate the ninety percent that is scriptural from the ten percent that is unscriptural. And sometimes it would be more beneficial not to fellowship with those who are teaching wrong doctrine because the error could eventually harm you. In this teaching that became popular in the '40s, so-called apostles and prophets were supposedly imparting ministry gifts and spiritual gifts through the laying on of hands and prophecy, and "putting" people into ministry offices. That is unscriptural. Although it is scriptural to lay hands on people for healing or to be filled with the Holy Spirit, you can't give someone a spiritual gift or call someone into the ministry by laying hands on them. As I said, sometimes God will confirm a person's call through prophecy; but only God can call someone to the ministry or impart a spiritual gift to them. Then we had another outbreak of this error in the beginning of the Charismatic Movement. And again today we are experiencing another outbreak of it. Some of the ministers who have recently gotten off into error in this area weren't there years ago when these errors surfaced earlier in the Body of Christ. Therefore, they didn't know the harm this teaching caused in the past. That's why if they had good sense, younger ministers would listen to some of us who have been over the road spiritually before them. It would save them many heartaches. Some of them could lose their churches over these false doctrines. And some of them will ultimately be embarrassed because these teachings are unscriptural and will eventually be shown to be wrong. First a Preacher or Teacher Another general characteristic of the apostolic call is that an apostle is first and foremost a preacher or a teacher, or a preacher and a teacher of the Word. 1 TIMOTHY 2:7 7 Whereunto I am ORDAINED a PREACHER, and an APOSTLE, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a TEACHER OF THE GENTILES in faith and verity. 2 TIMOTHY 1:11 11 Whereunto I am APPOINTED a PREACHER, and an APOSTLE, and a TEACHER of THE GENTILES. Notice Paul didn't say, "I am first ordained an apostle." No, Paul said first, "I am ordained a preacher," because he was first and foremost a preacher of the good news. He was a sent one for the purpose of preaching and teaching the gospel. Every single one of the ministry gifts is first of all a preacher or a teacher of the Word. In other words, those called to ministry gifts either proclaim or explain the Bible. We can see by this passage that an apostle's main ministry is to preach or teach the Word. The apostolic call has nothing to do with ruling over churches or people. In both of these scriptures, Paul mentions his preaching ministry first to emphasize the apostle's primary ministry. Paul was a preacher of what? The gospel. A teacher of what? God's Word. That should help us understand the true nature of the apostolic call when some of these fellows come around teaching doctrine other than the Word, calling themselves apostles. Signs of a True Apostle The signs of an apostle are stated by Paul in Second Corinthians 12. 2 CORINTHIANS 12:12 12 Truly the SIGNS OF AN APOSTLE were wrought among you in all patience, in SIGNS, and WONDERS, and MIGHTY DEEDS. What are the signs of an apostle? Signs, wonders, and mighty deeds. If some of these folks who call themselves apostles today don't have some of these same apostolic signs working in their lives and ministries, then they are not in that office. Also, to stand in this office, one must have a very deep, personal experience with the Lord — something very real and beyond the ordinary. Paul, for example, had such an experience with the Lord in his conversion experience and evidently throughout his ministry. Although Paul did not see Jesus in the flesh when Jesus walked upon the earth, Paul saw Jesus in a vision (Acts 9:3-6). His conversion was beyond the ordinary and deeply spiritual (Acts 26:13-19). For example, Paul had such a deep spiritual experience with the Lord that Paul received his knowledge of the Lord's Supper — a New Testament church sacrement — directly from Jesus: "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you... " (1 Cor. 11:23). As a foundational apostle and prophet, Paul received insight and instruction concerning this church ordinance directly from the Lord — not from the other apostles, nor from church tradition. And, of course, Paul received the revelation of the gospel from the Lord (Gal. 2:1,2). Those in the fourth class of apostle won't receive any more foundational revelation upon which the Church will be 35 36 He Gave Gifts Unto Men established. But their personal experience with the Lord will be supernatural and beyond the ordinary. However, that does not make an apostle personally superior to other believers or other ministry gifts. If these are the signs of a true apostle, what are the signs of a false apostle? False Apostles If there were false apostles and prophets in the Early Church, we are not so perfected in our day that we won't have them in the Church today. But that doesn't do away with the genuine office of the apostle. In fact, if anything, it proves there is a genuine apostolic office because Satan only counterfeits what is real and genuine. 2 CORINTHIANS 11:13-15 13 For such are FALSE APOSTLES, DECEITFUL WORKERS, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS. There is one very simple way to distinguish a false apostle from a true apostle. A true apostle plants and establishes new works in the Lord on a sound biblical foundation — the Word of God. A false apostle tears up works with division, strife, and wrong teaching. Some so-called apostles today are doing that, and they are false apostles. PHILIPPIANS 1:15-17 15 Some indeed preach Christ even of ENVY and STRIFE; and some also of good will: 16 The one preach Christ of CONTENTION, NOT SINCERELY [not honestly], supposing to add affliction to my bonds: 17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. Did you ever see a counterfeit three-dollar bill? Of course not. That's because there isn't any such thing as a three-dollar bill. A false apostle is a counterfeit of a genuine apostle and tries to act like the real thing. The Bible says a false apostle is a deceitful worker. He usually counterfeits the genuine office out of impure motives for reasons of personal gain. That is one reason I ask these folks who claim to be apostles, "How many churches have you pioneered?" Or "What are your qualifications which prove you stand in that office?" They may have started one church. But pioneering just one work doesn't necessarily qualify them as an apostle because there are other characteristics and spiritual qualities that go along with the apostolic office as well. And they may not possess those characteristics and qualities. It may be that pioneering and pastoring that one work is the main ministry the Lord has for them. Gordon Lindsay in his book, Apostles, Prophets and Governments, had something to say about false apostles: A false apostle is identified first by his usurping of the office of an apostle, and second, by failing to produce the works of an apostle. The Early Church took note of those who claimed apostleship but in fact were false apostles. They were tried and found liars and exposed so that they would not be able to lead away the sheep of the Church of Christ. It is evident that the office of an apostle is needed in the church today. But history shows the danger of any man calling himself an apostle. Groups that have attempted to restore apostolic functions by electing apostles have merely exposed their own folly. Those claiming to be apostles sometimes have at the beginning manifested a generous spirit. But they soon became arbitrary and sectarian. And usually succeeded in bringing people under bondage.1 A pastor went to a certain place and heard a fellow preaching who claimed to be an apostle. You certainly couldn't see any works or fruit of the apostolic office in the fellow's ministry. He hadn't established any churches, nor did he possess any of the other characteristics of the apostolic office. But as soon as this so-called apostle convinced others he was an "apostle," he announced, "To get the proper New Testament church government, an apostle and prophet need to be in authority over the pastor in the local assembly. I'm an apostle. The churches in this area are to come under my authority. All of you are to send at least twenty percent of your income to me." This so-called apostle was trying to use his "authority" in order to bring people under bondage and to extort money from them! I would call him a false apostle. His motives were wrong and so were his methods. But one of the pastors who heard him say this, swallowed this erroneous teaching hook, line, and sinker and submitted his church to this so-called apostle's "authority." The pastor had a two-hundred-member congregation. But after he submitted his ministry to this so-called apostle, the pastor's congregation dwindled to fifty people before he realized this wasn't scriptural. The people in his congregation had more sense than the pastor did. They left the church because they knew this teaching wasn't correct. Then this so-called apostle said, "Any church that doesn't have an apostle over it is an illegitimate church." 37 38 He Gave Gifts Unto Men I'd just as soon hear a donkey bray at midnight in a tin barn! Actually, I'd have more respect for the donkey because braying is all he can do. You see, the work of a true apostle will include not only the fruit of the spirit, but it will also be displayed by his concern for the upbuilding of the Body of Christ — not tearing it down with unscriptural teachings. Gordon Lindsay talks about the work of true apostles in his book, Apostles, Prophets and Governments: True apostles will first manifest their apostolic ministry by humility. They will reveal the ministry that God has given them by their works rather than by public proclamation of their office. One can do the work of an apostle without calling himself an apostle. The office of an apostle is to a great extent misunderstood. Many think it is an elevation to a position of authority whereby one may rule over God's people.... Let one do the works of an apostle and he will find that his ministry will become recognized.... An apostle will have a burden for the whole Church, and he will be interested in the welfare of the entire Church. That does not mean that he will physically minister to all members of the Body, which may number millions. But his burden will be for the whole Church of Christ ___ A true apostle will manifest an interest in the whole body and will labor to the edifying to the whole body until all members "come into the unity of the faith." He will not have a covetous spirit or be a seeker after financial gain.2 Brother Lindsay wrote this in the '50s, but you would think he was writing it for us today, wouldn't you? A Submitted Ministry I want you to see something else about the biblical characteristics of a true apostle. GALATIANS 2:1,2 1 Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. 2 And I went up by revelation, and COMMUNICATED UNTO THEM that gospel which I PREACH AMONG THE GENTILES, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain. There are several things to note in this passage. An apostle is not above other ministry gifts. In fact, a true apostle will submit his ministry to other proven ministers of the gospel, as Paul did here. No one knows how long Paul was in Arabia (Gal. 1:17), but we do know that Paul had been in the ministry at least seventeen years (Gal. 1:18; 2:1) when he went up to Jerusalem to confer with the apostles there. In other words, he was not a novice in ministry, yet he still conferred with other men of reputation about what he preached. In fact it was revealed to Paul by the Holy Spirit that he should go to Jerusalem and share the gospel he was preaching to the Gentiles to "those of reputation" — the outstanding chief apostles at Jerusalem. The apostles at Jerusalem did not preach to the Gentiles; they were still preaching to the Jews. Paul said he submitted the revelation God gave him to the apostles, "... lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain" (Gal. 2:2). In other words, Paul submitted his revelation of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the spiritual leaders of his day. If there is a possibility that this great man of God could run in vain, there is a possibility that we could run in vain too. That's why Paul wanted to submit his revelation to the Apostles of the Lamb. They were proven and well-established ministers of the gospel and had companied with Jesus in His earth walk. If Paul needed to submit his revelation to proven ministers, how much more should we? Yet some folks in our day want to confer with those who have recently become leaders in the ministry or who are young in ministry, or they don't want to submit their revelations or ministries to anyone at all. A minister came to me once with his great "revelation." I told him, "I can't accept that because it is not scriptural." I knew it would hurt the Body of Christ, hinder the plan of God, and eventually shipwreck this man's ministry. "Yes, but God gave me my revelation," he insisted. You're in trouble the minute you go talking like that. If God has shown you something, others in the Church will know it, too, especially those who are leaders in the Church. But beware of any revelation that lifts you up in pride and exalts you instead of exalting the Lord Jesus Christ. I told this minister, "Even with the office of the prophet, Paul said, 'Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge' (1 Cor. 14:29). If the prophet's ministry is to be judged, then the teacher's ministry or any other ministry would also need to be judged. You don't judge the person; you judge what he's teaching or preaching. You judge the person's ministry." But this man wouldn't listen and went out and started teaching his so-called revelation to the Body of Christ. But his ministry didn't last because his teaching wasn't scriptural; it was all "me" and "mine." He got lifted up in pride and concocted a revelation that wasn't biblical. He eventually faded off the scene and no one ever heard of him again. If you have a revelation about the Word, prove it out scripturally first before you teach or preach it publicly. Then submit it to others of established reputation in the Body of Christ, and let them judge it. Don't preach it or act on it until men of reputation who are seasoned in ministry have judged it. You don't want to run in vain. 39 40 He Gave Gifts Unto Men Actually, we ought to want our revelations and our ministries to be judged. Paul wanted his revelation and ministry to be judged. He wanted it to be right and scripturally sound. That's why he submitted it to the apostles at Jerusalem who were well seasoned in ministry. The fruit of a true apostle is that he has a submitted attitude toward other brethren, including the pastors of local bodies where he might minister on occasion. He is concerned about blessing and building up and establishing works, not tearing them down with questionable teachings and revelations. In my ministry, I've also practiced submitting revelations I've received from the Lord to those of reputation. And when I was in the field ministry, although I was not an apostle, I did what any traveling ministry, including an apostle, should do. First, I always submitted my ministry to the pastor or overseer of the local church where I ministered. I've always told the pastor of local churches where I ministered, "If there is anything I'm preaching that you don't want me to preach, just tell me and I won't preach on it. If there is anything I'm not preaching on and you want me to preach on it, just tell me." That is true submission, and every traveling teacher should submit his ministry to the pastor of a local body. Most of the time, the pastor would tell me to take my liberty and minister however God was leading me. But, you see, I had proven my ministry and had gained the pastor's trust. I've practiced that when it comes to revelations I've received from the Word too. I've always submitted major revelations I've received from the Holy Spirit to brethren I knew and had confidence in who were well respected in the ministry, just as Paul did in Galatians 2:2. These men of God weren't novices, nor fellows who were fly-by-nights. They were ministers who were spiritually sound and had held steady in ministry for years. In Paul's ministry, we can see the general characteristics of the apostolic call. Although he was a member of a local body, he was sent out by the Holy Ghost. He was first and foremost a preacher just like every other minister. And his message was the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was commissioned by God to bring that message to a specific group of people — the Gentiles. His apostolic ministry didn't extend to everyone. He did not have unlimited apostolic authority. Paul also had the fruit of a biblical apostolic ministry. And he submitted his ministry to those of proven reputation in the Word. 'Gordon Lindsay, Apostles, Prophets and Governments, (Dallas, Texas: Christ For The Nations, Inc., reprint 1988), pp. 12,13. 2 Lindsay, p. 14. Chapter 4 Qualifications for the Apostolic Ministry What do the Scriptures say about the qualifications of those called to the apostolic office? First Timothy chapter 3 talks about the qualifications of a bishop or overseer, which I feel refers to the pastoral office. We don't have any qualifications given to us specifically for the office of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, or teacher. But God would not require more of one ministry gift than He would of the others because He is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Therefore, we could safely say that the qualifications listed in First Timothy 3:1-13 are the qualifications for the ministry and apply to any ministry gift in the Body of Christ, including the apostolic office. 1 TIMOTHY 3:1-7 1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a BISHOP [overseer or pastor], he desireth a good work. 2 A BISHOP then MUST BE BLAMELESS, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, APT TO TEACH; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, NOT GREEDY OF FILTHY LUCRE; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6 NOT A NOVICE, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover HE MUST HAVE A GOOD REPORT of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. I've said that one who stands in the apostle's office must have the call of God upon him and the spiritual equipment enabling him to stand in that office. Both of these elements are God's responsibility. However, one called to the apostolic office must also have the qualifications to stand in that office. That is the minister's responsibility. Only he can qualify himself to be able to stand in such an office of trust and responsibility. I have seen men who were called of God, equipped with the supernatural ability to stand in a ministry office, but they failed in the ministry because they lacked the qualifications necessary to stand in such a ministry. They didn't prepare themselves to stand in the ministry God had called them to. 41 42 He Gave Gifts Unto Men Character and Conduct What are some of the qualifications of a minister called to the apostolic office or to any ministry for that matter? First Timothy 3:2 says he must be "blameless." I'm going to quote from other translations of this same verse to help you see this qualification more clearly. 1 TIMOTHY 3:2 (Twentieth Century) 2... a man of blameless character.... 1 TIMOTHY 3:2 (Weymouth) 2... a man of irreproachable character.... 1 TIMOTHY 3:2 (Amplified) 2... must give no grounds for accusation but must be above reproach.... 1 TIMOTHY 3:2 (Taylor) 2... must be a good man whose life cannot be spoken against. First Timothy 3:2 says, "... vigilant, sober, of good behaviour...." The Twentieth Century New Testament says, "He should live a sober, discreet, and well-ordered life." The Weymouth translation says, "A minister then must be a man of irreproachable character, true to his one wife, temperate, sober-minded, well-behaved...." The Amplified Bible says he must be "circumspect and temperate and self-controlled; [he must be] sensible and well behaved and dignified and lead an orderly (disciplined) life...." I didn't think up those qualifications for the ministry. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write that. You see, entering the ministry is a grave responsibility. That's why every minister, including an apostle, must be dignified and lead an orderly, disciplined life. That statement alone leaves out some ministers! In other words, a minister's life must reflect the call of God, not only in spiritual equipment, but in conduct and character. His character must be worthy of his call. An apostle or a minister must be irreproachable in his conduct and habits. If ministers don't measure up to the qualifications, they will never reach their full potential in ministry. Some ministers are going to have to make the necessary adjustments in order to fulfill the ministry the Lord has for them. Some ministers may sense a call to an apostolic type of ministry. As they are faithful in serving God in their current position and take time waiting in God's Presence in prayer and in the Word, a time will come when there will be a quickening of Qualifications for the Apostolic Ministry 43 His Spirit in their spirit. Then they will be able to walk in the ability of God to fulfill their call. Their purpose won't be to attract people to follow them, but to call upon men and women to follow Jesus. A true apostle with the character of Christ humbles himself before the Lord and endeavors never to attract attention unto himself. Jesus said,.. if I be lifted up from the earth, [I] will draw all men unto me" (John 12:32). One called to the apostolic office who has taken the time to develop his character would rather hide himself and lift up Jesus. We all need to examine ourselves and get to work on developing our character and conduct to make sure it reflects the high calling of Christ. If believers need to examine themselves, how much more do those who are called of God to the apostolic office need to lay aside every weight that would try to hinder them from their high calling in Christ. Apt To Teach Sound Doctrine 1 TIMOTHY 3:2 2 A bishop then must be blameless... vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, APT TO TEACH. A true apostle will also qualify himself by being apt to teach sound biblical doctrine, not doctrinal tangents or extreme teachings. And he will make sure he bases his ministry solidly on the Word, rather than on spiritual gifts or signs and wonders. Folks miss it when they think they can follow the doctrine of some so-called apostle because they see miraculous signs and wonders operating in his ministry. No, every minister's doctrine must line up with the Bible, even if signs and wonders occur in his ministry. Rev. P.C. Nelson was a leading Greek and Hebrew scholar and an outstanding Bible teacher. He said something along this line about John Alexander Dowie that has helped me immeasurably over the years. Dowie was a great pioneer in the message of divine healing in America. Many wonderful miracles of healing took place under Dowie's ministry. However, Dowie got off doctrinally by announcing that he was the third Elijah that was to come. Dad Nelson, as we called him, said about Dowie: "You can follow Dowie's faith, but you can't follow his doctrine." Friends, go back to the Old Testament and read the story of Samson. You can see in Samson's life that signs and wonders operated in his life, but that didn't necessarily mean he had godly character or sound doctrine. For example, Samson had the working of miracles operating through him. Even when he was living with a woman in adultery and lying, the gift of working of miracles still operated 44 He Gave Gifts Unto Men in his life for a time (see Judges chapter 16). Now don't misunderstand me. The time came when God judged Samson's sin. Samson got up and shook himself and he.. wist not that the LORD was departed from him" (Judges 16:20). Well, thank God for the miracles that operated in Samson's life, but his life wasn't a moral standard to follow after. Innocent people are misled when they try to follow someone's doctrine because of supernatural signs and wonders occurring in his ministry. Paul said, "Be ye followers of me, EVEN AS I ALSO AM OF CHRIST" (1 Cor. 11:1). You can follow a person in doctrine as he follows the Word. But don't pay any attention to any so-called apostle or any minister if what he says can't be backed up with the Word. Just because a person stands in a ministry office doesn't mean you ought to listen to what he says if it's not scriptural — even if the miraculous power of God is demonstrated in his life for a time. The time is coming when God will have to judge doctrinal error. You may be able to follow someone's faith, but not his doctrine. Sometimes people try to follow someone's doctrine because of his faith. But that's not scriptural. A little doctrinal error left unchecked will eventually become gross error. For example, if you flew from Tulsa to Los Angeles and you were a little bit off course, if the pilot didn't correct the course, you'd get so far off course, you'd never reach your destination. The same thing is true spiritually. If you get off course spiritually just a little, you need to correct yourself immediately and get right back in line with the Word. Otherwise, the further you go, the greater the doctrinal error will be. A true apostle will teach sound biblical doctrine. And he will back up what he says with the Word. Not a Lover of Money The Bible gives one of the qualifications for those in the ministry as a person.. not greedy of filthy lucre..." (1 Tim. 3:3). The Bible has much to say about ministers of the gospel and how they obtain money. In The Worrell New Testament, the footnote for First Timothy 3:2 says the minister of the gospel must not use "his office to extort money from people." Over the years, I have sometimes seen people use their ministries and the anointing that is upon them to obtain money from people. For example, I once visited a certain minister's meetings, who had a marvelous healing ministry. In this particular meeting, five deaf and mute people were brought from the state institution to be healed. This man ministered to all five Qualifications for the Apostolic Ministry 45 of these men, and they were all instantly healed and could both hear and speak. Immediately, the minister stopped the meeting and began taking up an offering. He knew he would be able to get a large offering because of the mighty demonstration of God's power. People from a

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