I have a few more posts to write about apostolic churches before I move on to another topic. Some people have asked me to better explain some basic concepts, so I am attempting to do that is this post. Today I am discussing status quo Church and explaining apostolic hubs. I am still summarizing from Apostolic Church Rising, Chuck Pierce and Robert Heidler. This book is invaluable for understanding where we have been as the Church and where we need to go.
Not surprising to most of us, the Church of today is an old wineskin. If the Church was alive, vibrant, and full of the Holy Spirit, America would not be in the mess she is in today. Many Christians think they are to read the Bible a little, pray a little, go to church on Sunday maybe, give a little money and time, and then on Monday live like the world.
The Holy Spirit is not invited to the service, because He might mess up the format and schedule. The pastor that’s up front and center seldom functions as a New Testament pastor, but rather as a teacher.
The five-fold gifts and structure the Church should operate in is no where to be found in modern traditional church. That’s the reason many churches are so ineffective.
Christians are worn out with dead religion and would rather stay home than continue to play the traditional church game.
Today the pastor is the highest office in most churches, but he (usually) is not a gifted pastor; that is, a shepherd. Many pastors are good teachers, but do not “pastor” their church. They are not called or gifted to pastor the church. They are gifted to teach. They don’t know their congregation, and they don’t care, and that’s OK because their gift is teaching.
A pastoral church was not God’s plan. It doesn’t work. Look around.
The goal of the pastoral church is to meet needs. The apostolic church is vision oriented. The goal is to prepare every believer to be trained, equipped, and moving forward toward his or her destiny in the Lord.
Pastoral church assumes all church members are “amateur Christians.” The apostolic church views all Christians as ministers. Every believer needs to be equipped to minister to others.
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