Chapter 4 - Restored apostolic ministry.
Bringing the Church back to its central intent and mission, through meekness.
Luke 22: 24-32
A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.
26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials.
29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
This word has personal meaning for me. During a key season for Oaklands church between 2011 and 2019, God began dealing with us as a people. He wanted to teach us how to be like Jesus in our spiritual warfare. There had been a call on our church for decades to become apostolic in nature, but the time had arrived for that to be realised. We soon found out that this couldn't be realised just by flipping a switch… we had to learn to become more like Jesus. We had to learn to overcome the darkness which presented itself in the area, and do so by the power and authority of Jesus, but only through learning of His meekness. We are still having to discover more of this.
The above sayings of Jesus came at the most crucial point of His ministry, the cross. Jesus was about to enter into the most epic spiritual warfare in the history of the world. And He used the moment to give the most potent wisdom for His apostles. It would hold them in good stead for their future battles. One has rightly stated: ‘the land of our battle is the land of our anointing’ (Francis Frangipane.) And before our Oaklands body embraced this, it had to begin with our leadership. The lesson began dramatically with an explosion of spiritual warfare upon a man. The question coming from him was over the very issue of ‘who is the greatest?’. It was a test of my leadership and the church’s resolve to move into God’s call for us as a Body.
This season forced me to search out the Scriptures, and the teaching of fathers in the faith who had a vision for an apostolic house. Wisdom builds the House (Proverbs 24:3) and we soon had to allow the Lord to develop the nature of our leadership in order to move forward.
In the above passage we see crucial aspects of the type of apostolic, and indeed fivefold leadership, that Jesus was stressing as vital to their fruitfulness in Kingdom life.
Jesus lists four qualities of a Christ-called leader, exemplified here in this passage:
The Servant leader v24-27
“The kings of earth (or nations) lord it over, and call themselves ‘Benefactors’… But you are not to be like that…”
Ancient rulers of pagan nations, along with their gods, were seen and named this way in order to be seen as ‘needed’ and central to people’s sense of dependance. In return for the benefits they bestowed upon people, they lorded it over the people, demanding allegiance.
Swansea had seen attempts of spiritual warfare over decades but never seen something done in recent times. A religious spirit had paraded throughout the city over for a long time. We as God’s people had supplanted God’s wisdom in sending generational apostles and prophets (Luke 11: 49) and replaced it with a soulish desire for our forefathers to become our ‘benefactors’. It is a very human desire to try and re-vamp the glory days of yesteryear, hold onto the past (or perhaps be held by it), without engaging in a fresh fight for something that might cost a present generation in terms of serving the city.
Yet ironically all along, the religious idolatry of the region demanded a greater servitude and allegiance in place of Christ. To combat this, we had to learn to come in a different spirit to those ‘benefactors’. Those who are sent, are not to be like the gentile rulers. They have to come to serve and not demand.
The one who rules (literally: to lead the way) is the one who serves as a deacon. So was Christ among the apostles. We have to become a beast of burden, serve the city and love His church. Jesus came to serve, not to be served. “Unless you love the cities of men and the city of God, there will be no open heaven.” (Dick Iverson)
The Enduring leader. V28
“You are those who have stood… through trials.”
Literally means: ‘to continue throughout and unchanged’.
We learnt that we needed a robust leadership in unified plurality. Willing to go through anything in the purpose God had set before us, demonstrating longevity in the house, and willing to be faithful to teach the apostolic Gospel and purpose / vision consistently, no matter what came against us.
This was not always easy, especially in dark seasons. There were so many times I wanted to walk away, give up or give in. But hope would always revive when realising that the promise remained for those who ‘endured until the end…’ Many leaders had left the region of Swansea Valley and the city itself over decades. Some had even expressed doubt concerning the area. Thus Christ’s call to be an enduring leader would need to be heeded to take us into our destiny.
The Kingdom leader. V29-30
“I confer on you a Kingdom, just as my father conferred one upon me”
Conferring is actually a covenantal term - a promise to settle a kingdom of fellowship (table) and rulership (thrones) upon those that walk in humility and endurance.
Note: Jesus conferred or covenanted this kingdom, just as His Father conferred or covenanted one upon Him.
Revelation 21:7 ‘He who overcomes shall inherit all things.’
And likewise, Revelation 2: 25-28
‘except to hold on to what you have until I come.26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star.’
So we see in these Scriptures - the enduring leader becomes the overcoming leader.
Endurance with Christ begets authority with Christ, even over geographic regions.
Christ shares as THE benefactor — His authority, just as the Father has given it to Him.
Similarly in Revelation 3: 21, the overcomer is given the right to sit down on Christ‘s throne, just as Christ overcame and sat down with His Father on His throne.
To put it another way: We learn to overcome our enemy through the meekness and endurance of Christ, thus rewarded by receiving a kingdom authority from Christ.
I firmly believe principalities and powers seek to occupy geographical thrones. These thrones were not intended for angels or individuals, but for the humble, overcoming church to learn to rule in a fallen broken world for the ages to come when Jesus returns. (See Heb 2:5 and Ps 8.)
The Restored and restoring leader. V31-32
“But I have prayed for you Simon, that your faith may not fail… And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
‘Simon’, is singular, but ‘you’ is plural. Though Simon was key, all the apostles were asked for by satan. Satan wants to attack key leaders, especially apostolic ministers. But nonetheless, prayer was made for Simon’s recovery, so that he would remain and strengthen the others. Simon fell, but Jesus wanted Him to strengthen the brothers. Falling or stumbling need not be terminal, if handled with humility. Persistent unsubmissiveness or rebellion has longer term consequences. Jesus taught His leaders to learn the difference between Simon Peter and Judas.
From this we can glean the following principles:
Elders cover and strengthen the apostolic leader, whilst letting him lead and cover the team. We have to foster team - working in mutual submitted meekness in order to create strength.
The apostolic leader demonstrates Christ’s meekness by releasing the true expression of fivefold eldership from within the church and to the world without, to create a fivefold expression of Jesus.
Leadership must be in covenant as a team, and create vulnerable relationships, even with flaws, weaknesses and sins. This becomes a strength that satan cannot penetrate.
The apostle must bring willing leaders together in reconciliation. Do not tolerate offence and divisions, be unoffendable and keep short accounts. It is easier to correct immorality than a bitter heart. Proverbs 18:14 says that it is easier to endure sickness than a crushed spirit.
The apostle discerns the difference between sons and hirelings. Seek to restore sons thoroughly and swiftly, as a father. There is tremendous victory over satan when grace is released in reconciliation and restoring wounded soldiers.
Protect marriages at all costs. One of the key ways satan attacks leadership is through their marriages. Wives are just as much part of leadership as husbands, carrying vision in their hearts for God’s purpose for an area and seeing it come to birth.
Maybe some readers, seeing these points, will wonder what bearing they have upon apostolic ministry being restored for our generation. I would simply point them back to the words of Jesus in this passage… that they have everything to do with it.
The original apostles were the subject matter in question, i.e. how they saw themselves versus how Jesus demonstrated his authority. Too many emerging five-fold ministers have been prematurely taken out because of a lack of understanding of these principles. Too many apostles have fallen prey to these crucial vulnerabilities over the years. Satan knows that if there is no apostolic ministry emerging, being released or even restored, then his kingdom remains secure and the goods of his house un-plundered.
The key to our overcoming the wicked one and winning our world is by demonstrating what it is to be a servant leader, an enduring leader, a kingdom leader and a restored / restoring leader. The apostolic ministry is critical to ministering, fostering and releasing this for the good of the Body to the world.
"At least one spiritual reason exists for the lack of understanding in the area of apostles. Satan, the great deceiver, is at the heart of all darkness and ignorance, and his attempts to cloud the issue have been deliberate. The apostle may well represent the single greatest human threat in existence to the work of Satan. Wherever apostolic ministry functions, a spirit of confusion seems to arise and attempts to neutralise it (Cannistraci then refers to Acts chp 17 and Acts chp 19). It is no accident that in our day the fog of confusion has engulfed the Body of Christ in regard to apostles. The enemy will use whatever means he can to prevent the Body of Christ from recognizing the office of the apostle. How the enemy dreads the apostle! How he fears the full restoration of this ministry! A New Testament apsotolic function fully deployed within the Church today would significantly impact the dominion of darkness. Satan knows this, and I'm sure all of hell shudders at the prospect of a revitalization of apostles and apostolic people. Satan's clear objective is to create confusion regarding the subject and to cloud our understanding."
D. Cannistraci