The term “apostolic” includes several characteristics of this kingdom leadership dynamic’s function, how that leadership affects the whole and each operating where it is functioning, and the systematic order this function provides the kingdom culture and the regional Ecclesia.
- Apostle means, “Special Representative.” It does not mean “sent one.” It can mean “sent one,” but that is not the kingdom leadership dynamic. “Sent one” can mean pizza delivery boy or someone sent to carry a letter or message. The “apostle of Jesus Christ” is a representative of the King, hand picked by the King, with the authority of an admiral, ambassador, and architect of culture.
- The apostles set order to the entire kingdom culture. They train people to live the lifestyle of kingdom citizens and set those who refuse outside the gates. They provide blueprints for building what the King wants to be built in a region or nation. They have a schematic by which to set the plumb line for all that goes on in the Name of Jesus within that measurable and defined scope of leadership, or the “metron” and “kanon” of their representation.
- The apostles share foundation work with prophets. A council of apostles and a company of prophets bring unique leadership perspectives to the regional and national kingdom assignments. Every kingdom citizen answers to the foundations in the building since they must build upon the foundation to build with the Chief Cornerstone in construction. Since the King is directly involved, and He designed this building process to be led by the architectural apostles, no one can build what the King wants on some other foundation.
- It becomes apparent, then, that the apostolic Didache trains the culture and individual lifestyles, the apostolic blueprints set the process of building, and the Ecclesia of that kingdom culture follows this leadership in preparing and positioning every kingdom citizen as a matured member of the legislative, administrative, and judicial Ecclesia.
- In one sense, we say “apostolic” to address a historical context. We do refer to the originating apostles because they connect us with Jesus in original design and definition. They are not superior apostles so that all who followed in history reveal the deterioration of the apostolic origination. That is a markedly unbiblical assumption. Jesus had no such idea in mind, to set up the kingdom of God with apostolic leadership in hopes that apostolic would deteriorate! We speak of “apostolic” in this historical sense, but we do not limit the term to this meaning or even allow this meaning to dominate the working definition of “apostle.”
- So, the apostolic flavors everything in the kingdom of God and the radical, representative, regional Ecclesiae of the Earth! They are directly involved in the kingdom with the other four kingdom leadership dynamics, but the apostles set order, blueprint strategies, and overlays of strategy from one region to the next. Apostles cover the Earth with kingdom blueprints so that every kingdom citizen of every nation fits a Master plan of the King to receive the fullness of His Inheritance through the Kingdom come, culture, and conquest matrix.
- Finally, we can say that “apostolic” and the kingdom are inseparable characteristics of the New Testament “ekklesia.” This does not mean that apostles alone can “pastor a church.” It does mean that a church is a regional Ecclesia assembled from all the kingdom leadership expressions of the region with apostolic blueprints and prophetic and apostolic foundations. It does mean that most of what we now do requires a Reformation so radical – to restore original design and definition – that it will challenge nearly all of our church-growthism. It does mean that this challenge will not affect the present rhythms of events that are nearly all legitimate in some way to the kingdom leadership dynamics but are not “church” but “kingdom” in function. It also means that about 80% of the churches were started for the wrong reasons, with the wrong motives, without any validation or sending by the King, that people were assuming odd things about the design and definition of “church” do so because they ignore the kingdom of God and the King.
It does mean that having identified the frauds and wolves, reassembled the illegitimate into kingdom operations within a restored kingdom culture that every citizen of the kingdom will experience an apostolic Didache and blueprint application for an individual lifestyle. It does mean that the Bible will again have authority here and now. It does mean that a certain number of people welcome at the public events will not be included in function in the legislative Ecclesia where only matured, prepared, and positioned leaders function in the stature of Jesus.
It does mean that kingdom leaders will stand at the gates of the current culture with the spiritual influence that displaces the enemies of Jesus strategically positioned at those gates. And, they will carry kingdom keys of divine authority as a regional Ecclesia to expand and limit on Earth what God has already expanded and limited in Heaven.
It does mean that the three metaphors of building, body, and bride will represent the Chief Cornerstone, Head, and Groom in history, here and now, anticipating ultimates that will arrive in the future to make things eternal that are established and expanded in human history. It does mean that we are heading toward the most significant reset of the kingdom of God since the Ascension of Jesus!
(I could add another discussion here of what “apostolic” is not since the restoration has swept up a lot of error, silliness, and fraudulent apostolic considerations. I will not. This is not a polemic. The bad, wrong, and fraudulent do nothing to diminish the authentic. And, the present condition of the apostolic is not perfect or as mature as it should be.)
