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Understanding the Apostle
A true pastor will not have this vision of multiplying. He was not meant to have a vision of multiplication. That vision and desire is for the apostle. Pastors are shepherds and should stay with one church in a local community as long as God says to. The pastor is meant to care for the sheep and always be there for them. Pastors don’t move around establishing works, they are stationary caring for the sheep. There is not one place recorded in the New Testament where a pastor started a church. Apostles start churches and place pastors over them to shepherd the sheep.
The problem with us today is EVERYONE thinks they are a church planter. Pastors, teachers, prophets, evangelists, musicians, graphic designers, janitors; everyone is trying to launch a church. It’s out of order and that is why most of these churches are not apostolic, neither are they producing REAL disciples. They just want butts in the seats and a DECENT SALARY, not disciples to SEND OUT and impact the world.
The reason we don’t see more multiplication in our society is because the church world focuses mainly on the pastor, evangelist, prophet, and teacher. The apostles are left out of the conversation. The apostles are the ones who should be running the church, but they are almost nonexistent. This is through ignorance and intimidation. The apostles must take a stand and get the church back in order.
In leadership conferences and church growth seminars, you will never see a breakout session for apostles. This is ridiculous! The first breakout session should be for the apostles! But who wants to be an apostle. An apostle is a pioneer and is very misunderstood and takes the most persecution. Paul puts it this way:
1 Corinthians 4:9 (GNB) For it seems to me that God has given the very last place to us apostles, like people condemned to die in public as a spectacle for the whole world of angels and of human beings. 10 For Christ's sake we are fools; but you are wise in union with Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! We are despised, but you are honored! 11 To this very moment we go hungry and thirsty; we are clothed in rags; we are beaten; we wander from place to place;12 we wear ourselves out with hard work. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; 13 when we are insulted, we answer back with kind words. We are no more than this world's garbage; we are the scum of the earth to this very moment! 14 I write this to you, not because I want to make you feel ashamed, but to instruct you as my own dear children. 15 For even if you have ten thousand guardians in your Christian life, you have only one father. For in your life in union with Christ Jesus I have become your father by bringing the Good News to you. 16 I beg you, then, to follow my example. 17 For this purpose I am sending to you Timothy, who is my own dear and faithful son in the Christian life. He will remind you of the principles which I follow in the new life in union with Christ Jesus and which I teach in all the churches everywhere.
Paul is not complaining; he’s just stating a reality that many in the church need to understand. The same is still true today. It’s almost like the apostles get stepped on and treated like garbage. It’s only because the apostle’s job is aggressive, pioneering, bold, and on the GO! The work of the apostle was new to the people in the first church. They were not used to that type of aggression and message. The same is true today. People have never caught on to the work and ministry of the apostle. Man-made traditions have gotten us far away from God’s way of doing things in the Kingdom. That makes it hard for people to accept the office of the apostle. Good news! It’s here, it’s back, and it’s taking over like we see it in the Bible!
The Greek word for Apostle is apostolos. It means a special messenger, one sent on a mission, a delegate, an ambassador.
2 Corinthians 5:20 So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!"
The apostles in the New Testament were messengers with the revelation of Jesus and the Kingdom of God. They were the ones sent out on missionary journeys to preach the gospel of the Kingdom, establish local churches and establish sound doctrine in those churches. They raised up pastors to oversee the work after it was established. These apostles were pioneers. This means they were always going into new territory to preach the Gospel and establish churches in those cities.
We have been given the same mandate. We are pioneers going into new territory to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ and plant new congregations. We are ambassadors and delegates, with a special message that will transform cities. Everyone is not an apostle, but the church must be apostolic. We need apostolic people. This means we need people who think from a pioneer perspective and are willing to be sent to fulfill their purpose within the DMM | T.E.N. vision.