The Law of Love

John 13:34-35 KJV “ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  (35)  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

Rom 13:8 KJV  “Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Jas 2:8 KJV  “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:”

I get a daily prophecy in my inbox from Prophet Russ Walden over at Father’s Heart Ministries. Today’s prophecy was: “The Father says today that I am raising up a people to radically walk in the law of love. The only way to master the law of sowing and reaping is to ascend into the higher law, the law of love. As you ascend into the law of love you become a lord of the harvest. You will sow into a barren land and reap a bountiful harvest. You will sow in a time of famine and bring back a hundred fold return in the same season. You will see in your life the plowman overtake the reaper and the seed sown produce a harvest before it hits the ground.

This isn't fantasy says the Father. It is the no-fail zone of the love that NEVER fails. If love never fails then why would you ever step out of love. The wisdom of the world rejects this fact. This is the LOVE-FACT says the Father. It is not possible to fail when you live your life according to the law of love. So let love's sowing bring love's reaping and mount up with those wings of favor I have overshadowed you with into the new territory I have annexed you into - even the territory that lords over all small minded selfishness and causes you to think with My mind and love with My heart this day!”  ABOVE QUOTE FROM FATHERS HEART MINISTRIES PROPHET RUSS WALDEN.

This is why Romans 5:1 is so important. This is why the gospel is so important. The gospel alone is the only thing that will bring REAL LOVE for God into the heart of an individual. This is why it must be rehearsed over and over again. This is why no one can ever outgrow their need for hearing the gospel daily. This is why God has given us imputed righteousness. This is why God has separated our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. Yes, it is to produce in us supernatural love… agape love.

This highlights the importance of Deu 28:1. This is the condition for all of the blessings following in Deu 28. One has to somehow fulfill Deu 28: 1. This is where the gospel comes into play. Jesus did fulfill Deu 28:1-2. If I rest in him alone and not any of my works, I will love him… I can’t help but love him, and when I love him as I rest in all that he accomplished on the cross, all that his blood purchased on my behalf. That alone, and NOTHING ELSE, will make me the recipient of the blessings. That is how the Amos prophecy of the plowman overtaking the reaper will come to pass.

Believe the gospel!

Small Difference – Huge Distinction Part l

What was the point of Paul writing Galatians? Was Augustin, Calvin and Luther right, or are the “New Perspective on Paul” people closer to the truth? My conclusion is that the New Perspective people are definitely not right but, neither are many of those who have adopted the western view of Paul that was championed by Augustin and Luther. The title of this series speaks of nuance, and it seems that nuance is not something that evangelicals work well with. Especially those evangelicals that believe the bumper sticker which reads… “God said it – I believe it – and that settles it.”

The question that is raised is this; is this really what God said? This is the place that nuance comes into play. There is such a variety of evangelical doctrines that are often mutually exclusive. That alone should give pause to the bumper sticker crowd. With this in mind we will boldly move on into the discussion to identify the small difference that makes a huge distinction. What am I specifically speaking of here? The simple answer is the gospel.

Paul writes this in Galatians chapter one: Gal 1:6-9 “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, (7) which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.  (8)  But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.  (9) As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” What were these different gospels?

In order to answer this question one has to read through Galatians’ chapters one and two. It becomes obvious in reading Galatians one and two that the different gospel demanded works of the law for justification. Galatians 2:21 states the most important factor in identifying the different and false gospel. It reads: Gal 2:21 “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.” The attribute that identified the true gospel was this. Righteousness *does not* come through the law. That means that one is not made righteous or declared righteous by adhering to the law.

This is precisely why I am so confident that the gospel that is preached today by most evangelicals is a different gospel. While it is true that many, if not most would say that righteousness does not come through obedience to the law, their actual practice negates that statement. This is where the small difference with a huge distinction comes into play. Nuance is the key word that I would use to explain this. It is my hope that this will help us embrace the actual gospel that Paul states was revealed to him by Jesus Christ.

This is the point where many are going to say the word antinomian with an accusatory tone. Hold your horses and wait for this series to be completed. Understand this however; Righteousness does not come through the law.  We do not receive righteousness by our obedience to the law. This is different than Old Covenant righteousness, and that is why the New Perspective people are simply off base. Deu 6:25  “Righteousness will be ours if we are careful to follow every one of these commands before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.” Old Covenant righteousness was connected with obedience to the commandments. Not so under the New Covenant and that is where nuance comes into play. This is the source of the small difference with a huge distinction.

Peace with God Produces the Transformation; Looking at Shalom

 Rom 5:1 NKJV Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
 
Col 1:19-20 NKJV For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, (20) and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

I think that we can learn a lot about what God has done through Jesus Christ by understanding the meaning that God had given the Hebrews for the word Shalom. Peace is far more then an end of hostility and what we normally think of when we hear or say peace. The Strong's definition of Shalom should shed some light on the subject. Here is the definition as it is in the Strong's Lexicon,

 

H7965 shâlôm shâlôm  shaw-lome', shaw-lome' From H7999; safe, that is, (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, that is, health, prosperity, peace: - X do, familiar, X fare, favour, + friend, X greet, (good) health, (X perfect, such as be at) peace (-able, -ably), prosper (-ity, -ous), rest, safe (-ly), salute, welfare, (X all is, be) well, X wholly.



Shalom has a far more holistic meaning than one would think. It includes safety, welfare, health, prosperity, peace etc. So then, one can rightly conclude that Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have safety, welfare, health, prosperity and peace with God." And, likewise, Col 1:20 says "and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made us safe, healthy, prosperous, at peace through the blood of His cross."

 

So then, when Paul says that Jesus *is our peace* he means that Jesus is our Shalom which is our safety, welfare, health, prosperity and peace. This precious gift and status is the source for all of the transformation that happens in the life of a saint.  However, to have this transformation really take place supernaturally, one has to understand and believe this concept. This is the source of love for God that translates into the desire to obey Him. There is more to say on this and we will develop the idea in subsequent posts.

Opening the scroll

Rev 5:6-9 NLT  “Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into every part of the earth.  (7)  He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the One sitting on the throne.  (8)  And when He took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God's people.  (9)  And they sang a new song with these words: "You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For You were slaughtered, and Your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

There is a direct correlation between the above passage and the following one:

Luke 24:44-45 NLT  “Then He said, "When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about Me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled."  (45) Then He *opened their minds* to understand the Scriptures.”

Jesus had a specific way of looking at the scripture. He saw it as expressing his purpose and destiny. It is only in seeing the scripture as Jesus sees it that one can have the scripture opened. It is only opened when Jesus and the redemption that he brings is the sole focus of the scripture. All scripture must be viewed with the understanding that Jesus is Lord and Christ and the sole purpose of the scripture.

Paul puts it another way in this passage: 2Co 3:14-16 NRSV  “But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside.  (15)  Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds;  (16)  but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.” Notice that the veil is only removed with a Christ-centered approach to reading and understanding the scripture.

That is one of the main obstructions to revelation knowledge today in the church. To really truly understand the scripture in the way that it was meant one must see the redemptive gospel focus. The passage that I quoted above from second Corinthians ends with an explanation of the ministry of reconciliation. God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not counting trespasses. He made Jesus who knew no sin to be made sin for sinful humanity so that reconciled humanity could be the righteousness of God in Christ and be at peace with God.

Peace with God is the most important aspect of truly loving God. The Shema, Deu 6:4-6 NRSV  “Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.  (5)  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.  (6)  Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.” Jesus said that this was the first and greatest commandment. i.e, loving God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might.

This commandment can only be fulfilled when one is set at peace with God because of the grace found in Jesus Christ. The scripture will only be opened when one understands the gospel of grace in its fullness and ties all the reading and teaching and preaching to it.

What is the meat, or “where’s the beef?”

Heb 6:1-3 AMP  THEREFORE LET us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ (the Messiah), advancing steadily toward the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity. Let us not again be laying the foundation of repentance and abandonment of dead works (dead formalism) and of the faith [by which you turned] to God,  (2)  With teachings about purifying, the laying on of hands, the resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment and punishment. [These are all matters of which you should have been fully aware long, long ago.]  (3)  If indeed God permits, we will [now] proceed [to advanced teaching].

1Co 3:2 AMP I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not yet strong enough [to be ready for it]; but even yet you are not strong enough [to be ready for it],

Many times you hear teaching that encourages Christians to move on to meat. It seems that many think that the salvation is baby stuff and that the saint should move on to maturity. But, what is the meat? This is a very important question to answer if we are ever to be mature in Christ Jesus. I have fellowshipped with people in the past that see the cross as baby stuff. Some time ago I was in a conversation with a prophet that was connected with the present truth prophetic movement. I had mentioned 1Cor 1:18 in connection with the idea that if the people of God, Christ followers, wanted to have God’s power, they should preach the cross. I mentioned that it was God’s dunamis, His dynamite. He then went on to gently remind me that what we needed to exercise was God’s exousia (authority.) I gently replied that the authority comes from the cross.

Everything in a saint’s life is tied to the cross. There is no meat available that is not founded in the cross event. I want to make this completely clear. The milk is not the cross event. I have posited two passages that are frequently used with the idea of maturity and immaturity; meat and milk. These two passages are not as linked as one might think. The Hebrews passage is referring to mature doctrine or theology and the first Corinthians passage is referring to mature behavior. The way that they are linked is as follows: If a saint is able to understand mature doctrine or theology they are more apt to be able to exhibit mature behavior.  True maturity will result from a proper understanding of the pristine gospel. True maturity will be the result of truly being at peace with God as Paul describes it in Romans 5. Peace with God (Romans 5:1) is the source for true maturity.

True peace with God can only be achieved when one realizes and understands what the author of Hebrews was driving at and heading towards in Hebrews chapter 6. One sees that at the end of Hebrews chapter five (Heb 5:10-14) the author was unable to explain about Jesus being a priest after the order of Melchizedek, and what that meant to them because they were dull of hearing. They only understood milk, the rudiments of Christianity. They needed meat. It was likely because they were in danger of leaving Christ and returning to Judaism. This would be to avoid persecution from the Jews. You can see widespread persecution from the unbelieving Jews throughout the entire area that the gospel had affected. This persecution plagued Paul everywhere he went. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that these Hebrew saints were tempted to renounce Christ and go back to Judaism without Jesus. This theory makes perfect sense in view of Hebrews 6:4-9. If they renounced Jesus and went back to Judaism without Christ it would be impossible to repent again.

In chapter seven the author goes on to explain to them the significance of the priesthood that Jesus held. He was a priest after the order of Melchizedek. It was a priesthood that resulted from eternal life. Further, they with the indwelling Christ and eternal life shared in that priesthood. In Hebrews 8:1 the author explains that the whole purpose in the epistle was to explain the New Covenant, the change of the priesthood etc. That quite simply is the meat. I asked where’s the beef? The answer is  found in the understanding of the New Covenant and ultimately the blood of the ultimate sacrifice. It was best expressed in Hebrews 9:14 “how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

Can one lose salvation by sinning?

It is only in moving back to Memphis, in the mid-south, in the middle of the bible belt that this question arises. My blog has been targeted at those who already believe in the eternal security of the believer. Yes, I am writing about the idea that is pejoratively described as once saved always saved. I realize that there are many, many segments of evangelical Christianity here in the bible belt that view the idea that once one is saved they are always saved, as ridiculous and totally unbiblical. But, is that true? Or, are the ones who believe that one can lose salvation by sinning the ones who do not properly understand the bible? I, of course, am convinced that the latter is the case.

This is not as cut and dried as using proof texts would make one believe. There is a fair amount of nuance in understanding that one does in fact have eternal security. Nuance is important in understanding our relationship with Father God. I feel that the strongest evidence for eternal security is found in the many redemptive decrees. Redemptive decrees are passages of scripture that make declarative statements that if they are not true as they stand then the scripture itself is simply not truthful. My favorite of all of these is Romans 10:9-10  “ That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10)  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” If you put other conditions on salvation, like *not sinning,* then you make Romans 10:9-10 simply a poetically expressed lie. There is absolutely no wiggle room in “thou shalt be saved.” If one is not saved by confessing with their mouth and believing in their heart then it is quite simply untrue.

Another powerful redemptive decree is the ever popular, most memorized passage in all of the bible. John 3:16-18  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  (17)  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  (18)  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”  Here again, if one believes on Jesus they will not be condemned but be saved and if they do not believe in Jesus, they are condemned already. Look at the passage in the Amplified Bible:

John 3:16-18  For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.  (17)  For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.  (18)  He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation--he incurs no damnation]; but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already [he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence] because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ's name.]

Beyond the redemptive decrees, there are verses that plainly state that one cannot lose salvation once they have obtained it. The one that states it unequivocally is John 10:28-29: “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  (29)  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.” When it says that no man shall be able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand it means no-one including they themselves. If no man can pluck me out of my Father’s hand it means that I cannot pluck myself out.

So then, if what I have posited thus far is true, then, there must be a way that the verses that are used to prove that one can lose salvation have to be taken out of their context. I can say that in every case they are. When you read them in their total context they do not end up saying that one can lose salvation. Let’s look at a couple to see if this is so.

Here is one that is often used to prove that one can lose salvation: 1Co 6:9-11  “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,  (10)  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.  (11)  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” It is important to read verse 11 in the context of this passage. Yes, some of them were the things mentioned but, not before God, why... because it was covered by the blood of Jesus.

The fact is this. God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself not counting sin. He made Jesus, who knew no sin, not only did not sin, but did not know how to sin… He made him to be made sin for all believers, that the believer might become the righteousness of God in Him (Christ Jesus.) The fact is this. Sinful humanity has been declared and decreed righteous by God based upon faith in Jesus. Now then, it is for a greater purpose. The purpose is so that man can really truly love God. How is this accomplished? Well, read Romans chapter five and it will be explained. We have been justified, that is made right with the Father or, in other words, we have been declared the righteousness of God to give us peace with God. It is from peace with God, a peace that surpasses all understanding, that we develop our true love for God. This is the catalyst for our obedience to God and is the source of supernatural transformation. This post is getting too long, and I will need to do a series to explain this fully.

Foundational apostles and prophets: What about the five-fold ministry? Part 5; What about signs and wonders?

Mar 16:15-20 KJV And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  (16)  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.  (17)  And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;  (18)  They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.  (19)  So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.  (20)  And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

When you have been all alone without anyone around, perhaps looking at yourself in the mirror, have you ever asked this question? Where are the signs and wonders? I mean real signs and wonders. There is a lot to be gleaned from the above passage from Mark's gospel. I have posited the King James version of this passage so that it will be most familiar. Jesus said in John's gospel that those who followed him would do greater works... that there would be a greater works ministry. Have you ever asked the question; where are these greater works? Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 that all authority had been given to him heaven and earth. So then, if we are in him, we too have that authority. But, authority alone is not enough. One must also have power. When Jesus sent out the 12 in Luke 9:1, he gave them both power and authority. That is... in the Greek... exousia and dunamis. The signs and wonders require both power and authority.

So then, where does the power come from? Where do we get the dunamis? Dunamis is the Greek word that is translated power in the New Testament writings, and it is a root word that we get dynamite from. Dunamis is explosive power. So, again the question, where do we get this power? The answer can be found in the above passage from Mark's gospel. In verse twenty it says that God was confirming the word with signs and wonders. What exactly does that mean? Well, Mark defines the word in verse fifteen. The word is the gospel. After all, isn't that the point of this entire passage? Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel is the purpose of this passage. Therefore, the word that would be confirmed is the gospel of God's grace in Christ Jesus. So then, the Holy Spirit will only confirm the gospel with signs and wonders. Really? From just this one passage?

Let's look at another: Act 14:3  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. Oh, this backs up the theory. Paul knew that the signs and wonders were there to establish the gospel or in other words, the word of God's grace in Christ. So the power (dunamis) for the signs and wonders comes from the gospel, or in other words, the preaching of the cross. 1Co 1:18 KJV  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. So then, if you want God's power, dunamis, preach the cross. It is the preaching of the cross, the gospel that will bring about God's power and he will confirm the word of his grace with powerful signs and wonders.

Paul explains plainly that the signs and wonders were to accompany and confirm the gospel: Rom 15:18-19 KJV  For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,  (19)  Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. It should be very clear that the signs and wonders will not come with the mixture of law and grace that is preached today. God will not confirm the leaven of the Pharisees.

Foundational apostles and prophets: What about the five-fold ministry? Part 4; Apostles continued

Eph 4:11-15  Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  (12)  Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ.  (13)  This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.  (14)  Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.  (15)  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church.

What does it mean to be more and more like Christ? The answer to this question is the Greek word for a special kind of love... God's love; AGAPE (pronounced ag-ah-pay.) I throw this in because so many people pronounce it (a-gop-ee,) and I just feel that if we throw a word around, we ought to properly pronounce it ;-) But, however you pronounce it, AGAPE is the key to real transformation.

AGAPE, is the love that God loves us with. It is the love that sent Jesus to the cross. It is the love that is responsible for God's unlimited grace and favor. It is the love that brings complete peace with God (Romans 5:1.) It is God's love for us that produces our love for God. It is a love, that when properly understood, becomes the offer you cannot refuse. It is the love that we must ultimately love one another with if we are to be obedient to Christ. It is the love that will help us fulfill the Shema (Deut 6:4-9 & 11:13-21 you should look them up if you have not.) It is the love spoken of in 1 Cor chapter 13. It is the love Jesus refers too when he says that by this love... AGAPE... all will recognize you as my disciples. It is the love that covers a multitude of sins. It is a love that will ultimately help one lay down ones life for his/her friends. It is the love that will never end.

This is the foundational apostle's job! It is to extol and promote AGAPE in the earth. That can only be accomplished by the clear presentation and proclamation of the pristine gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not counting sin against the world. The foundational apostle is first and foremost an AMBASSADOR of the good news. The good news is that God wants a relationship with all and he has provided the means to that end. He had settled it before he created the world, and He performed it in linear time two thousand years ago on Calvary. This is a love producing news. It will bring about a transformation in people that will help establish the *love reformation* of the church. I first heard the term from Ted Haggard and the Lord recently quickened it to my spirit as I thought about the need for the five-fold ministry to continue to operate, especially the ministry of the foundational apostles and prophets. It is not important if or if not the term/name is used. One does not need to be called an apostle to hold the office of apostle and do the work of an apostle, nor does one need to have the title of prophet to hold the office of prophet and do the work of a prophet. Still, foundational apostles and prophets are sorely needed!

Foundational apostles and prophets: What about the five-fold ministry? Part 3; Apostles continued

Eph 4:11-16  And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,  (12)  to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,  (13)  until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,  (14)  so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.  (15)  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,  (16)  from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Continuing on with the subject of modern day apostles and prophets it must be acknowledged that there is not much written specifically describing the office of apostle. However, it is safe to conclude that you can look at the ministry of Paul and others found in the book of Acts and thereby extrapolate the qualities one could expect to find in a modern day apostle. First, the apostle was called by God in a profound way. The apostles either walked with Jesus or heard a declaration from heaven. So then, the modern day apostle will have heard that specific call from the Father.

Secondly, The calling will be confirmed by actions, presence, power and also by other believers. An apostle will have an unmistakably unique anointing of power and presence and will speak with authority. An apostle will easily recognize truth from error. He or she will judge everything in light of the gospel of grace, redemption, and the love of God. The reason for this is to enable the body to keep focus on the pristine gospel of grace.

Thirdly, the apostle will urge people on to love in love. The foundation of the purpose of the gospel is to inform the saint that they are at peace with God... (Romans 5:1.) It is from this understanding of being at peace with God that true transforming love can be birthed in the individual. The Apostle John said it this way. 1Jn 4:10  "This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." In other words, supernatural transforming love is not generated because of the command to love God with all our heart, all our soul and all our strength. Supernatural transforming love is generated from the peace we have with God because of the gospel of Christ. Agape is at the heart of apostolic teaching and a called apostle will exemplify agape.


I am making progress but there is still much to say about  the apostle so expect a continuation....