Many leaders are taking hold of
the apostolic move of God that is sweeping across the world.
Lives and ministries are being changed as they launch into
the New Testament Antioch pattern for local church growth
and empowerment. But to bridge the gap between the
generations leaders must impart vision to the next wave of
apostolic leaders.
But as church growth continues, apostolic leaders are faced
with a dilemma: how to bridge the gap between the
generations in order to transfer the apostolic mandate to a
rapidly increasing new breed of disciples who, excited by
the apostolic vision, are ready to run with it. How do we
make sure that the work will be carried on by capable
people; men and women who will operate with a vision for the
future and a faithfulness to the apostolic pattern?
As many leaders discover, there is no shortage of people
when the apostolic is embraced. After all, one of the
characteristics of the apostolic is a gathering anointing.
But how can you know that the ones who are designated to
carry on the movement will have wide enough spiritual
shoulders to bear the load? What do you need to do in order
to impart a revelation of the apostolic to the ones God has
sent you? And how do you effectively identify those that are
ready for the next level, while still ministering to those
who may be in the apostolic “valley of decision?”
I believe that in order to reproduce with apostolic
succession we must do it strategically with an apostolic
thrust. We must build according to the pattern. This is not
a new pattern. It is the pattern that Jesus set out, Paul
followed, and the early Church fathers continued. In short,
apostolic leaders must recruit shrewdly. Jesus said to His
disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew
16:24).
This is a calling of people to service. There may be some
today who cringe at the thought of denying themselves and
bearing the weight of their cross, but the original
apostolic call from Jesus came with no holds barred.
Basically He said, “This is the way that it must happen if
you are going to be a part of this move.”
However, apostolic leaders are not only surrounded by those
who want to be disciplined learners. No, we usually also
have those around us who are more like spectators than
participators. Don’t consider this strange. Jesus dealt with
the same issue. Wherever He went there were multitudes that
gathered just long enough to see the latest miracle, to hear
the latest astounding message or even to see what kind of
trouble Jesus would get Himself into before the day was
over. But then there were those who went into the secret
places with Him, sitting at His feet and daily living out
the truths that He continuously imparted to them. These were
the ones who eventually carried out the next phase of His
mission, activating everything that they had learned in
their brief time with Him.
As an apostolic leader, you must remember that you recruit
from all spheres of people: the inner court, the outer court
and the holy of holies. There is an old saying that goes
something like, “Don’t try to teach a pig to dance. It only
makes you mad and frustrates the pig.” There is nothing more
frustrating for an apostle than to try to position the
“outer court” person as if they were a “holy of holies”
person. In case you have never tried it, it doesn’t work
real well for the outer court person either!
However, the apostolic leader recruits with the
understanding that there is a fit and function for every
member in the Body of Christ. You must throw out the net for
both the remnant and the masses. In essence, apostolic
leaders must train systematically. Just as the apostolic
leader must recruit with an understanding of placement, he
or she must also train specifically and systematically.
There must be specific pathways for different types of
people as well as a system of evaluation in the training.
Jesus gave specific instructions to His closest followers
when He sent them out to advance the Kingdom. Those
instructions established their way through a system. “These
twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: ‘Do not go
into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the
Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of
heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise
the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely
give" (Matthew 10:5-8).
Apostolic people usually come ready to do something. They
come asking, “What can I do? How can I be mentored?” They
desire and need feedback and input in order to feel
fulfilled and on target. I believe, too, that when the
apostolic leader offers training for a wider variety of
people than just those who are apostolic (for example, those
that are more prophetically inclined, or who have a
pastoring anointing) he or she will reap the benefits of a
local church body that has an apostolic flavoring on all the
five-fold dimensions, which have been allowed to flourish
under his or her leadership.
Regardless of the grace on a disciple’s life, apostolic
leaders must transfer a mission-mindedness. The Apostle
Peter said, “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to
make your call and election sure, for if you do these things
you will never stumble” (2 Peter 1:10). The apostolic leader
must be strategic in specifying and mobilizing the different
arms and giftings of the people. As we have already seen,
part of this strategy comes in identifying those who desire
to be trained by the apostolic. Once this is done, we must
equip those individuals with the power of
mission-mindedness.
Apostolic people will impart their very lives into the
fulfillment of a divine vision. They consistently run to the
mission, not the fires. Fires are those distractions and
hindrances that arise along the path of progression. All of
us face them, but how we respond to them will determine
whether we fulfill or abort our mission. Oftentimes, fires
are the things that pull us off course, rob our attention,
and leave us on the side of burnout. It is of vital
importance that apostolic people remain focused on their
purpose and faithful to the mission.
Mission-minded people are not driven by the never-ending
needs of people and circumstances, becoming victims of their
own call. Instead, they are impassioned with the mission of
God that, in the process of achieving, also meets needs.
Apostolic leaders must be strategic in the deployment and
mobilization of recruits. The apostolic was never meant to
be confined to the four walls of the local church, as we see
in the Book of Revelation. “Then the seventh angel sounded:
And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms
of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of
His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’”
(Revelation 11:15)
Apostolic leaders must employ specific strategies for
mobilizing different arms of the church both internally and
externally. In deploying apostolic people, leaders must keep
in mind that there are four primary realms that the impact
of the apostolic is felt: economical, educational, political
and judicial.
When these marketplace ministers who have been trained by
the apostolic are strategically positioned in these realms,
they are able to speak with a voice of influence and advance
the Kingdom of God from within, touching lives that may
never have otherwise darkened the door of the church.
Today’s apostolic leaders are being called to
intergenerational apostolic impartation. Like Issachar in
the Old Testament, we have been graced with an ability to
shoulder two burdens and offer a bridge for those who come
after us. “Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between
two burdens; he saw that the rest was good, and that the
land was pleasant; he bowed his shoulder to bear a burden,
and became a band of slaves” (Genesis 49:14-15).
Through enlightened recruiting, systematic and strategic
training, and a spreading of mission-mindedness, apostolic
leaders will continue to see His Kingdom come and His will
being done in the earth by tomorrow’s apostolic leaders.
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