Building On Apostolic Foundations

141 Pages·2003·0.56 MB·English

INTRODUCTION / 1
Building On
Apostolic
Foundations
Second Edition
Dudley Daniel
Written by Gordon Hunkin
2 / INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION / 3
Building On Apostolic Foundations
Second Edition
Copyright © 2003 New Covenant Ministries International
Printed in South Africa by Creda Communications
ISBN: 0-620-30998-9
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from
the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright ©
1973,1978,1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of
Zondervan Publishing House.
All rights reserved. The reproduction of any portion of this publication
in any form without prior permission of the publisher is prohibited.
However, permission is hereby granted to reproduce portions from
this publication for use in preaching and training, provided those
portions are used in the context in which they are presented in this
publication, and full acknowledgement is made of this publication.
Published by Every Tribe Resources for New Covenant Ministries
International.
P. O. Box 67209, Bryanston, 2021, South Africa.
www.ncmi.net, email: [email protected]
Other books in the Equipping For
Apostolic Christianity series
Choosing Your Battles
A Servant’s Heart And Skilful Hands
Building An Apostolic Culture - Restoration Of David’s Tabernacle
4 / INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION / 5
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 9
Part One: Becoming The Apostolic Future
1. God’s Picture of the Future 15
2. The Seduction of the ‘Next Best Thing’ 26
3. What is God’s Agenda? 30
4. A Context for Change 36
Part Two: A Whole-Bible Theology Of Church
5. The Message of the Church 49
• The Kingdom of God
6. The Mandate of the Church 60
• Go Into the Whole World
7. The Mission of the Church 66
• Making Disciples
8. The Model of the Church – Part 1 76
• The Apostolic/Prophetic Model
9. The Model of the Church – Part 2 83
• Local and Trans-local
10. The Model of the Church – Part 3 93
• Organic Life
11. The Means of the Church – Part 1 101
• A Radical New Prototype of Believer
12. The Means of the Church – Part 2 111
• Skilful Leadership
13. The Modus Operandi of the Church – Part 1 122
• Learning God’s Ways
14. The Modus Operandi of the Church – Part 2 131
• The Bible Plus Nothing, the Bible
Minus Nothing
• Team
15. The Ministers of the Church 135
• Everyone a Priest
6 / INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION / 7
16. The Motive of the Church 140 • Anointing More Important Than
• Love Academic Qualifications
• Evangelistic Fervour
17. The Meetings of the Church - Part 1 144
• To Worship 23. Restoring What was Lost - Part 2 187
• Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
18. The Meetings of the Church – Part 2 152
• Second Coming of Christ
• To Hear from God
• Divine Healing
19. The Meetings of the Church - Part 3 157
• Laying on of Hands
• To Co-operate with God
• Prophecy Movement
20. The Meetings of the Church – Part 4 161 • Latter Rain Movement
• To Experience Kingdom Lifestyle • Deliverance
• To Love and Be Loved • Inner Healing
• To Find Security and Healing • Teaching Ministries
• To Build Relationships • Discipleship Movement
• To Pray • Release in Praise and Worship
• To Find Refreshing • Faith / Prosperity Teaching
• To Know God • Charismatic Movement
• Faith and Faithfulness • Kingdom of God
• Advancing the Kingdom • Team
• New Breed Leaders
Part Three: The Restoration Of Apostolic/prophetic • Home Cells
Foundations
• Power Evangelism
21. Restoring What is Most Needed 171 • Church Government
• The Presence of God • Discipling the Nations
• Apostolic/Prophetic Anointing
22. Restoring What was Lost - Part 1 175
• Bible in The Language of the People • Focus on Revival
• Bible in The Hands of the People 24. Restoring What was Stolen – Part 1 199
• Truth About Salvation • Radically Word-Based
• Application of the Bible • Covenantal Relationships
• Dismantling Hierarchy in the Church • Radical Converts
• Autonomy of the Local Church • Team - a Plurality of Leaders
• Baptism by Immersion • Priesthood of all Believers
• Church in the Fields • The Third and Fourth Generation
• Instantaneous Salvation by Faith • Spiritual Fervency
• The Witness of the Holy Spirit • Supernaturally Natural and
• Holiness of Life Naturally Supernatural
• Being Teachable
8 / INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION / 9
25. Restoring What was Stolen – Part 2 205
• Vulnerability
• Transparency
INTRODUCTION
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Purity
• Humility
• Faithfulness
26. Restoring What was Stolen – Part 3 213 “We can no longer think in terms of thousands or tens of
• Creativity thousands or hundreds of thousands, we have to think in terms
• Excellence
of millions.” This was the comment of a person who phoned
• The Majority Carries the Minority
me shortly after returning from a trip to the Democratic
• Every Believer Evangelism
Republic of the Congo (DRC). He had been there with a team
• Prayer
• Grace and Liberty that went to visit a number of the churches in that region and
• Keeping People Free had made the comment in response to the work of God in the
• A Willingness to Sacrifice
DRC. On that trip they had also penetrated deep into Angola.
• The Fatherhood of God
That comment has remained with me because I think that it
27. Restoring What was Stolen – Part 4 222
is true with regard to the work that we have to as the Church;
• Continuity
we have to learn to think in terms of millions. Although there
28. Restoring What was Stolen – Part 5 226
are millions who are being saved, there are millions of people
• Apostolic/Prophetic Culture
• Training, Equipping and Releasing Leaders that still need to be saved, millions of people who need to be
29. Restoring What was Stolen – Part 6 233 discipled and millions of people who need to be taught the
• Pro-Israel pattern and plan that God has for the Church. There are
• Pro-Life millions of people who need skilful leadership; leadership that
• Church as God’s Healing Community - For
can lead them into embracing the whole of God’s pattern and
the Nations
into doing the work that God has called the Church to.
• The City Church
30. A Perspective on Spiritual Warfare 239
Conclusion 246
We can no longer think in terms of
thousands or tens of thousands or
hundreds of thousands, we have
to think in terms of millions.
10 / INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION / 11
I do not know whether you can think in terms of millions, This is not a motivational message that I am asking you to
but that is what God wants us to do. He said, “Ask of me and respond to. My goal is not primarily for you to be inspired to
I will give you the nations for your inheritance.” 1 This is the go out and plant a church, a home cell or whatever the case
heart of God, to reach nations. The Church has been asking may be. What I really want is for us to engage in a sober, and
for the nations for many years now. I would say that there are yet exciting examination and assessment of God’s Word and
at least 100 000, possibly as many as 500 000, people who His ways that will result in an increased understanding, and a
relate to New Covenant Ministries International (NCMI) alone transformation of our lives.
who are asking for the nations on a weekly basis, and I am very excited and motivated by all that I see God doing
sometimes even more often than that. In prayer meeting after around the world, but I am also concerned that this work will
prayer meeting, and in church after church across the globe, not be sustained. To me, it would be a tragedy if all that we
we are asking God for the breakthroughs and for opportunities see God doing turns out to be something that only lasts for a
to reach those who are lost with the whole gospel. God is while and then fades away. In order to ensure that this does
answering this prayer. He is giving us the nations, not only to not happen, we are going to have to change.
NCMI, but to the whole Church. The purpose of this book is to facilitate an encounter with
When I consider all that God is doing in and through the God related to His agenda for the Church, and to contribute
Church, and the opportunities that lie before us, I know that to the emergence of the kind of leadership in the Church that
we need to see some radical changes take place in the Church will change us. Such change is necessary because the state of
in order to meet the challenges of our time. We also need the Church directly influences the extent, effectiveness and
scores of leaders to be trained and released around the world; continuity of God’s work on the Earth.
we simply do not have enough. We need pastors and we need
church planters because there are millions of people still to be
brought into the fullness of what God wants for His Church,
and millions more who need to be brought into His Kingdom. What I really want is for us to engage in
In spite of this tremendous need for the people of God
a sober, and yet exciting, examination and
everywhere to be equipped and for more leaders to be raised
assessment of God’s Word and His ways
up, I am not writing this book to motivate more people to be
that will result in an increased
leaders. I think that there is enough of a motivation of God in
understanding, and a transformation
people’s lives to be leaders. What I hope to do is to channel
that motivation, to bring it, as it were, within the banks of the of our lives.
river - within the boundaries of God’s Word, His agenda and
His ways - and to help facilitate the changes that God wants
us to embrace in response to Him.
1. Psalm 2:8
12 / INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION / 13
Part One
Becoming The
Apostolic Future
In this section I want to establish a context for the
rest of the book. Four aspects will be covered:
• Something of what I perceive to be God’s agenda
with the Church.
• Something of what I perceive to be God’s agenda
through the Church.
• Some of the implications of His agenda.
• What our response should be.
14 / GOD’S PICTURE OF THE FUTURE GOD’S PICTURE OF THE FUTURE / 15
1
God’s Picture of the Future
Where do you see yourself in a year from now? Do you
see yourself sitting in the same seat, in the same church, in the
same condition, doing the same things that you did last Sunday
and that you will do this Sunday? Where do you see yourself
in three years time? What about in five years time? What do
you see yourself being? What do you see yourself doing?
Why do I ask that kind of question? It is because, although
we hear a lot of talk today about the Apostolic/Prophetic
Church, we fail to understand that an important part of being
an Apostolic/Prophetic people is the ability to see the future,
and to actually become that future that we see. This is how
David lived. We read in Acts 15 that he lived prophetically.
He saw the future. He saw what lay ahead and he spoke and
lived out what he saw. What about you? Where do you see
yourself in the future? What will you be doing?
This question about the future is important because God
wants to speak to us about His plans for the Church in the
world. He wants to speak to us about what He wants us to
become. It is also important because whenever we begin to
encounter God in new ways and to take seriously what He
16 / GOD’S PICTURE OF THE FUTURE GOD’S PICTURE OF THE FUTURE / 17
says, we will find that some adjustment is required on our taken place in the Church in recent years. We must make sure,
part, sometimes that may be radical. however, that we are all ready and willing to embrace the
changes that are currently on God’s agenda, both corporately
and personally.
An Apostolic/Prophetic people has the An example of this is found in an aspect of Church life that
ability to see the future and to is at present changing from what it was in the past; I am
become that future. referring to the way that the minority of the people have always
done the majority of the work, while the majority have done
very little, if anything at all. Why was this so? I believe it was
Many of us still struggle with change, especially when because of how church members saw themselves. They did
radical change is required, but we need to open our hearts to not see themselves as priests.
embrace the adjustments that God calls us to make. It is only Those of us who are preachers bear ninety percent of the
when we wholeheartedly embrace some fundamental changes blame for that, but not all of the blame can be put on the
that we can ‘become the future’ that God has in mind. It makes preachers. It is true that for a long time we did not really let
sense to settle this issue before we have any encounter with the people do anything. When they did have the ability to do
God on these matters, and always be ready and willing to make things, we were often threatened, especially if they could do
whatever adjustment that such an encounter inspires. things better than we could, or if they could do things that we
Many in the church today do not spend much time thinking could not. Then, because we were threatened, we tended to
about the future, which is part of the reason that we do not put that potential that the people had to death. There is,
change. We have to spend time with God, allowing Him to however, a shift taking place and preachers are trying more
show us what is in His heart, and allowing that to be the and more to get out of the way and let the people be the
primary influence on how we think about the future, and how priesthood of God. This is something that we will come back
we see ourselves in the future. to later.
This is what vision is about. Vision, for us, must be God’s
picture of the future. True vision is prophetic because it begins
True vision is prophetic because
and ends in God. It is not my vision or your vision; it is God
it begins and ends in God.
revealing His heart, His pattern, His purposes and His ways.
Where there is no such vision, the people perish - not as in
dying physically, but in that they cast off all restraint.1 They What is important to note is that this change will not be
become like driftwood. complete if the people do not rise up and embrace it. We
Now, I do not want to imply that the Church has been cannot continue to hide behind or blame the preachers. Very
altogether stagnant. I know that some significant changes have often it is really we who have settled for a picture of who we
are, and who we will be, that is far less than God’s picture.
1. Proverbs 29:18
18 / GOD’S PICTURE OF THE FUTURE GOD’S PICTURE OF THE FUTURE / 19
We all need to have a heart to work for the Kingdom and to we can make an impact, that we can change things. Some of
take action that enables us to do that work. That requires that us feel that we can change the world while others only feel
we see ourselves, and our future, the way that God does, and that they can change their household. The point is that every
that we make the necessary adjustment to who we are and one of us has had something birthed inside of us that says, “I
what we do. can make a difference.” Many have let that conviction die in
When I was saved, God birthed something of this in my the face of confrontation.
heart, and from the night that I came to know Christ I wanted If that has ever happened to you, then you need to know
to serve Him and make the biggest impact that I could. I had that even if it died in you, it never dies in God. He is the God
my own business at the time, but I no longer wanted it. I did of resurrection. He wants to resurrect whatever has died in us
not believe then that I could preach, but I did believe that I that has anything to do with His plan for us. Nothing can be
could go out and do something for Jesus Christ. killed off so totally that He cannot resurrect it - nothing! That
The denomination that I was in said that if I wanted to serve is the kind of God that He is. Without resurrection, we are the
Jesus I had to go to university for seven years. That particular most miserable of all people, but He is a resurrection God.
university was, at the time, an extremely liberal university. I Without this, there is no Christian faith. If He can resurrect a
would have had to go and learn about evolution all over again. human body, how much more then can He resurrect vision in
Everything that is fundamentally true about our faith would us?
have been challenged, laughed at and ridiculed. I was not
willing to give seven years of my life to that. Yet the system
confronted me and, in effect, told me that unless I conformed,
From the day we are saved, every one of
I could not serve Christ.
us has had something birthed inside of
I could have settled down and done nothing and blamed
the system, but, in God’s grace, I did not do that. I sought us that says, “I can make a difference.”
God for a way to do what I believed He wanted me to. He Many have let that conviction die, but
gave me a way, and I have never looked back. Even now, I it never dies in God.
do not look back and blame the system or people for anything
that has happened in my life - even when I have been unjustly
treated. I have tried never to hide behind these things as a
reason for what I could not or did not do. No one should ever Some may say, “Oh, but I married the wrong person.” Well,
blame others for not doing what God called them to do. God can still resurrect vision, even if you made that mistake.
From the day we are saved there will be people who oppose If that is true for you then there may need to be some
us. Some of us have been, or may yet be, tempted to give up adjustments to the vision, but a vision can still be fulfilled,
in the face of that. I believe though, that when we are saved together with the person you are married to.
there is in that conversion, if it is genuine, a realisation that