Apostle

The foundational kingdom leadership dynamics are prophet and apostle. Jesus devoted His leadership development to apostles, and positioned them primary when He Ascended. Apostles are the kingdom architectural master builders, using living stones for God's building. Apostles lead the fivefold leadership dynamics of the Body in preparing and positioning its members. Apostles lead the adorning character of the Bride by maintaining the purity of kingdom culture and government.

"Apostle" is a function, not a title. Apostles represent the Kingdom within the kingdom. Apostles prepare and position kingdom citizens to enhance the influence of the kingdom. Apostles lay kingdom foundations in that they function at that level of kingdom leadership.

When we read the Bible and hear what it says, we end up at a very different place than when we allow human institutionalism to define the meaning of terms and the function of leaders. The Bible remains at odds with most of the conclusions of institutionalized religious groups because those groups devise their own structures for organization and leadership, ignoring kingdom dynamics to fit the Bible into their distinctives.

So, to understand "apostles," we need to hear the meaning of the word in the mouth of Jesus.

For more the last couple of decades, the discussion of apostles has vastly increased because of emphases placed upon this discussion by church growth experts. While this book isn't a treatment about the New Apostolic Reformation, it does speak to the fact that apostles do exist here and now, function at the foundational level of the kingdom, and their proper function calls us to reexamine all the kingdom leadership dynamics as they relate to Ecclesia.

This booklet paints with broad strokes to explain the apostolic function, not exhausting any one aspect or providing long responses to arguments about current apostolic leadership models. The author honors the inspiration of C Peter Wagner and others contemporary voices but also gently challenges the kingdom leaders to a season of maturity. Dr Don feels that apostles have been restored to the kingdom leadership dynamics but that their leadership has not been restored at the foundational levels as yet because of glaring inconsistencies in how modern apostles function and criteria used to identify whether a person is, in fact, an apostle.

A short read that may bring as many questions to the mind as answers, that points back to Scripture as the only Source of information on the subject given that the word, "apostolos," in the mouth of Jesus takes new meaning because Jesus is Apostle of the Father. When Jesus says, "Apostle," we must understand the definition, design, and function in Jesus and His originating apostles.

Dr Don also finds the over emphasis upon Paul as apostle unnecessarily distracting in determining who is an apostle, the personality and disposition of apostles, and the faulty application of checklists and church growth principles to apostolic function. To understand Ecclesia, we begin with kingdom; to understand apostle, we also begin with kingdom. Attempts to study and understand apostles without the context of kingdom will certainly lead to misconceptions about apostles, thinking contrary to and inconsistent with the meaning of "apostle" in the mouth of Jesus.