What has Already Been Set in Motion
- Part 1 by Bill Click
Identity Network
I remember back in the late 1980s, when I once got so excited I couldn’t speak straight. I was trying to talk to my College instructor in California. I was taking a class on Church Mission & Ministry from a Global Perspective. I had gone up to speak to him briefly after class was over. In his lecture for the day, he had emphasized what Jesus established in Matthew 28:18-20:
"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
I stumbled around verbally, seeing that many others also wanted a word with him. What I tried to say went something like this: that’s what I’ve been telling people - we are still commanded to do what Jesus and the Apostles did. There have been many years and different places of life since then, but we have never been able to get away from that conviction. At least, not for very long at a time.
Recently, this has been re-impressed upon me with such intensity it has been causing an uprising in us. Personally, it is causing me to refocus on not only the Body of Christ becoming one which moves with God Supernaturally. But (especially) that I must be one who moves in more power and depth of the Spirit than ever before. Not so that others won’t have to, but so that others will also.
Apostolic Succession: Isn’t that a Roman Catholic Doctrine?
What Jesus commanded the Apostles to do in Matthew 28:19-20 was continue what He had set in motion: It was a succession of faith that reproduced the very same dimension of who He had not only been to them, but through them, and was getting ready to release throughout the earth (Acts 1:4-8). Christ has always sought and still seeks to permeate every succeeding generation of believers, continuing His very own ministry throughout the Church until He comes again.
The Lord said they were to be: “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.”? Note that it does not say, “teaching them to know about or remember what I commanded you.”? It says, “teaching them to observe.” The word translated as “observe” is the Greek word tereo, which means to make, guard and keep as a fortress, to prevent from loss. The primary way Jesus uses this word in the Gospels is translated as “keep.” This in mind: when the sentence of Matthew 28:20 is fully put together, it could actually be translated ?teaching them to keep doing all that I commanded you to keep doing.?
In other words, each unfolding generation of believers have been called and designed to become able and continue doing what the Apostles did under Jesus’ Spiritual authority. This was the authoritative basis for Christ’s own apostolic mantle to be perpetually released throughout the Church until His return.
It was an apostolic succession based in Christ’s Lordship to move through the Church birthed and assembled together by the Spirit (Acts 2:42-47; 1Cor.12). It was not an order which was to legitimize organizing and structuring authority by human means, wisdom and pragmatism, even when structure later became necessary to minister to the growth and insure an ongoing, expanding fruitfulness (Acts 6:1-8).
It was an apostolic succession based in Christ’s Lordship to move through the Church birthed and assembled together by the Spirit (Acts 2:42-47; 1Cor.12). It was not an order which was to legitimize organizing and structuring authority by human means, wisdom and pragmatism, even when structure later became necessary to minister to the growth and insure an ongoing, expanding fruitfulness (Acts 6:1-8).
During the time Jesus walked the earth, what exactly did the Apostles do under His Spiritual authority? Yes, they evangelized (Mt.10; Lk.9-10). But the command to preach included instructions very specific to the package: "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.” (Mt.10:8)
It is clear that this “total package” didn’t just apply to the Apostles, but was also to be carried and delivered by those Jesus sent out known as the seventy: “heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘the kingdom of God has come near to you.’” (Lk.10:9) Their effectiveness is verified by the much notice made by them about what was done through them: “the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your Name.’” (Lk.10:17)
It is clear that this “total package” didn’t just apply to the Apostles, but was also to be carried and delivered by those Jesus sent out known as the seventy: “heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘the kingdom of God has come near to you.’” (Lk.10:9) Their effectiveness is verified by the much notice made by them about what was done through them: “the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your Name.’” (Lk.10:17)
Let’s embrace this once and for all: Jesus came to establish an ongoing apostolic dimension to flow through His Church which functions and also trains others to do what He, the twelve and the seventy did during that time. And such proclamation of who Christ is and what He still does today in demonstration of the Spirit, power, and its resulting fruitfulness is God’s normal for the Great Commission (Mt.28:18-20). It is to remain in place until the Harvest is fully gathered and the Church is matured and ready for His Return (Eph.4:7-18; 5:27).
But….Only Apostles Can Do That!
One of the old wineskins that must be abandoned today is the non-biblical doctrine that only Apostles can do what Jesus commanded the twelve, the seventy, and each succeeding generation of believers to do. In Acts and every epistle which follows, there is an emphasis and evidence that not only were believers to move in the gifts and graces of the Spirit to continue the ministry of Jesus, they were doing so!
By setting in order the ongoing reproduction of His own works through His people, Jesus was not calling everyone to be Apostles. He was, however calling for the Church to be truly (as Paul would later write) first apostolic (1Cor.12:28). In other words, you don’t need to be an Apostle to move in the power of Jesus. That sounds radical, revolutionary and either too good to be true or perhaps too “out there” to receive. But before you delete this article, let’s stay with this a moment.
When the reproductive revelation of the Prophetic Movement was re-establishing that the Church is to be fully prophetic, what the Spirit had us each embrace was this reality of God’s Word throughout the New Testament: you do not have to be a Prophet to prophesy or move in revelation from God. The (1) Scriptures pointed out all would prophesy (Ac.2:17-18), (2) we all should seek to prophesy (1Cor.14:1-5), and (3) all can prophesy (1Cor.14:31). This was the evidence of two eternal realities. The first: “the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy” (Rev.19:10). The second: “Christ lives in each of us by the Holy Spirit” (Rom.8:9).
What was found (& restored) by those in the prophetic movement became a foundational revelation that not only established the eternal basis of prophetic anointing, but also its firm foundation in Scriptural authority. This also features two dimensions.
- The Holy Spirit is a prophetic Spirit who came continually magnify and reveal Jesus (Jn.15:26; 16:13-15).
- Christ was not just a Prophet, but He was, is and will always be THE Prophet from which all prophetic speech originates (Dt.18:15; Mt.21:42f; Jn.1:1; Eph.4:7f).
This recovery of Christ’s apostolic anointing is to be received and understood in a similar manner. It is the recapture of what has always been true, what Christ has authority for and has already set in motion. It was verified in the New Testament through the works and words of Jesus, the fruit of His commands working in others, and the testimony of the lives of the early Church. The impact, however, goes way beyond them then. It is to bring the “now” of God to bear in life situations just as Jesus, the twelve, the seventy and the early Church did (Lk.4:21; Isa.43:18-21; Heb.11:1). It is not about being an Apostle unless you are called to be an Apostle. But it is about truly being “first apostolic” (1Cor.12:28).
Aligning with Christ the Apostle
When people were awed by what Jesus did in feeding the multitudes with five loaves and two fish, they looked for Him until they found Him the next day (Jn.6:22-40). This is step number one:
We must become so enraptured by the Christ who has miraculous care for humanity that we seek Him until we find Him. Long before Jesus emphasized that we were to “ask, seek and knock,” He spoke through Jeremiah:
“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you, not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jer.29:11-13).
Step one is that we must seek Jesus until we truly find Him. If you’re not sure you’ve found Him, there is most probably more seeking to do (Mt.7:7-11). When we have found Him, it is just the beginning. It is then a matter of whether or not we are going to unite with Him, or just continue receiving for ourselves. After they found Christ, He challenged them. Jesus basically said to them, “I’ve done what you needed, now the question is will you do what I am doing also?” (see Jn.6:26-27).
They then asked Him: "what shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?" (John 6:28). This is step number two: After finding Jesus, we must ask Him what He wants us to do.
Since our need is usually what motivates us to seek, this is the challenge most face today. It is easier for most to find Jesus than it is to ask Him what He wants after finding Him. There is a time for everything (Ecc.3:1), but our call to function as Jesus did calls us beyond the self of receiving for ourselves. When you truly want to do the works of God, that means you want to be like Jesus in life and action, not just receive from Him because of need or desire.
Jesus answered and said to them, "this is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (Jn.6:29).
That is step number three: we must believe whatever Jesus tells us to do will produce what He wants done through us. They wanted a sign, but Jesus pointed them back to believing in Him, not the sign (Jn.6:30-31). Signs and wonders stop whenever we insist on them for us to believe. Jesus said that signs follow those who do believe (Mk.16:17). After finding Jesus, we must believe that whatever He tells us to do will produce the powerful anointing and fruitfulness He has promised (Acts 1:8).
Almost certainly, this process will result in asking to be forgiven for not believing that His power is for you to receive and flow in today. After being forgiven, it will also enable you to embrace the process of evicting the lies of this age, the futility of man’s wisdom, and all general and specific unbelief that robbed you of faith. Such freedom does not come through beating ourselves up religiously; it comes through feeding ourselves His presence through the truth of His Word as we worship in Spirit and truth (Jn.4:23-24). It is His Spirit living in us by His Word which causes us to be able to follow Him completely (Ro.8:13-14; Heb.4:9-16).
Continuing to pray, seek and follow after finding Jesus, you will then begin rising into a new season until every plowing up of its “fallow ground” and old wineskin will result in Him coming personally to rain righteousness on you. (Ho.10:11-12).
We are each to seek Jesus until we truly find Him. After finding Christ, ask Him what He wants you to do.
Believe that whatever Jesus tells you to do will produce what He wants done through you.
End of part 1
Bill Click
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