The apostolic reformation is bringing signs, wonders and
miracles back to the local church.
As the apostolic revolution marches forward, the Church is
being changed. Its very foundation is being reexamined. God
is taking us back to His original blueprint.
This move of God is nothing new but rather a return to the
principles that launched the early Church. With this
reformation also comes persecution. Indeed, today we are
experiencing today we are experiencing ridicule and
criticism much as the emerging apostles did in the Book of
Acts. Many people not only fail to understand what we are
doing, they seem determined to undermine God’s purposes.
The New Apostolic Church is called to be a place of power. We
can invade the crack houses and the hospitals with the
delivering and healing anointing of almighty God. We are not
called to use the religious church philosophy and methods
but rather to build, guide and govern by the Spirit.
Religion has successfully robbed the Church of her position
of power and dominion in the earth. This spirit rails
against any move of God. The religious spirit doesn’t mind
you and I attending church as long as there is no power or
passion in the church that we attend. In fact, religious
spirits love going to church. They love dead dry services,
meaningless messages and dominating deacon boards!
Not only that, but religious spirits are determined to build
the Church in America upon wrong foundations. The religious
spirit has inspired entire books on how to pioneer lukewarm
churches based on programs rather than true power. Religious
churches operate on a very natural philosophy. They use
humanistic principles instead of Spirit-based foundations.
There are three primary means of church growth and
establishment according to the religious church.
The first is programs. Tools to satisfy the desires of
people. Religious churches will brag about having the
greatest programs in town. Yet there is little to no
conversation about the power of the Spirit being manifest.
The second humanistic principle religion touts is politics.
The people who are searching for a religious church usually
want a title and a position. The good news for the religious
church leader is that they are willing to pay for it. If you
give them a front-row seat, they will contribute to the
building fund. The bad news is that later you will have to
pay for it with more compromise!
The third humanistic principle religion clings to is
preferences. The leaders of the religious church pride
themselves on being preference-oriented. They will boldly
tell you that they did not build their church on the move of
the Spirit but rather on the preferences of men. In other
words, they found out exactly what people wanted and
delivered it to them at any cost.
The new apostolic church is called to provide a stark contrast
to the religious church. Many apostolic leaders are asking,
“How can we grow our churches?” I believe the answer is
found in the Book of Acts along with the new apostolic church
model. What was the reputation of the early apostles? “And
when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain
brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that
have turned the world upside down are come hither also”
(Acts 17:6).
The apostles were noted for the tangible presence of God
that could change a city, state or nation. Everywhere they
went the glory of God was upon them. One of the marks of an
early Church apostle was the intense power of God upon their
ministry. The five-fold gift of apostle is a revivalist, one
who challenges demon powers through the move of God. The
power of God and flowing in the miraculous are qualifying
marks of an apostle’s ministry. Apostles differ from the
evangelists because they are also anointed to lead and
govern churches.
As the early Church apostles traveled from place to place
establishing local churches, they persuaded the people
through the supernatural and the Word of God. The Word and
the Spirit were working hand in hand. “Long time therefore
abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony
unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to
be done by their hands”(Acts 14:3).
The foundation of the early Church was built upon a powerful
move of God. The very first service was a Spirit-inspired
evangelism rally in which over 3,000 new converts came to
the Lord. As the Apostolic Church continued, Paul and his teams
transformed entire regions. Phillip, the evangelist, had one
revival in which an entire city was changed.
“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached
Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed
unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the
miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud
voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and
many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
And there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:5-8).
Imagine the atmosphere of that revival. The power of God was
so strong that the city was swept up in revival. What if Los
Angeles or Miami was brought into revival? Millions of lives
would be changed. This revival took place because Phillip
and the apostles were not scared of the religious spirit.
The Bible says that the people were convinced by what they
heard and saw. Miracles, healings, and dramatic deliverances
were at the forefront of Phillip’s revival.
If we are going to grow our churches we are going to have to
embrace the move of God. Apostolic churches must not build
through natural means but by spiritual power. Our primary
tool is the supernatural. I recently had lunch with the
pastor of the largest charismatic church in France. He told
me that his church was primarily built through the Word and
miracles. When blind people start getting healed on Sunday
mornings our churches will be full!
There are several components to supernatural church growth:
miracles, worship and the gifts of the Spirit, the presence
of God and signs and wonders.
Miracles: When the deaf hear and the blind see even
the hardest heart can be transformed.
Worship: For every move of God there is a
God-inspired realm of worship where His glory comes and
begins inhabiting the praises of His people. Out of the
apostolic move shall come new songs along with worship tools
and strategies. The religious church is stripping true
worship out of Sunday mornings. The apostolic church must
keep worship at the forefront.
The gifts of the Spirit: It still amazes me how one
Word from the mind of God changes people. If every leader
would open their heart to the Father and make themselves
available to be used in the gifts, the Church would be a
dynamic place of spiritual renewal. Why is the world
flocking to the psychics? They are looking for direction.
True direction comes from the mind and heart of God. When
the Church rises up and manifests the gifts of the Holy
Ghost, the hungry will come running.
The presence of God: I am sad to say that I have sat
in many services where the glory of God was not present.
People were impressed by the eloquent sermon or the
professional programming but there was no touch of God.
People can and will be dramatically changed when they are
brought into the presence of God. Our churches should be
blanketed in prayer, worship and love, so that when the
hurting come, they step into an atmosphere of power.
Signs and wonders: Much has been said about this
operation of the Spirit. Simply put, signs and wonders are
mighty acts of God that draw people closer to Him. They are
divine releases of His power that destroy the yoke of the
enemy and liberate the captive. They can also be categorized
as God interrupting normal life. These miracles are to
follow the believers, not the believers following them. They
are a tool to bring the lost home. We must be careful not to
be drawn aside by spectacular displays of familiar spirits
that are sent to draw us away from the Father. True signs
and wonders will lead us closer to Him! The hurting and
broken people living in your city must be reached with the
life-changing Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. You and I
must not compromise. We cannot bow to religion or politics.
We must preach the Gospel of the Kingdom.
“Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them
power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal
the sick. And he said unto them, Take nothing for your
journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither
money; neither have two coats apiece. And whatsoever house
ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. And whosoever
will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off
the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.
And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the
gospel, and healing every where” (Luke 9:1-6).
In order to truly preach the Gospel of the Kingdom we must
not only speak but also demonstrate. Heal the sick, raise
the dead, and cure the leper! God is knitting the hearts of
the hungry saints with fiery leaders who want to see revival
sweep their city.
The power of God must be at the forefront of this new apostolic church reformation. We cannot return to the government and
strategies of the Book of Acts without accessing the power
that was displayed in the early Church. As the five-fold
ministry arises so shall a fresh anointing upon the Body.
The world is longing for powerful spiritual leadership.
Let’s quit talking about the Church and simply start being
the Church.
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