prophetz Apostles and Prophets Lesson 6 Apostolic Restoration Part 1 The haunting question that consumes more hours of a leaders time than anything else is the question, “How?”. Of course the obvious answer is God, but what is our part and why do so many not figure it out? Many have tried to establish the Apostolic and Prophetic ministries, and more often than not, have resulted in fizzled ministry attempts and many frustrations. This lesson is not for those that do not believe in the Apostolic and Prophetic movements of God in the New Testament Church, but for those that acknowledge the government of the Church that our Lord Jesus desired to use in establishing His Kingdom. But acknowledgment of God’s Government in the Church is not enough. How do we get from where we are, to the fullness of where God wants us to be. Many will feel that maybe if they promote more of the congregation to positions of leadership they will step up, others will blame the people of the congregation for the reason why things are not manifesting, and others are waiting for the right leader to come around and do it for them. It all starts with God’s Word. I. THE BURDEN OF THE GOVERNMENT Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The might God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. v7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to stablish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. The burden of establishing God’s government is not upon our shoulders, but His. He will establish His government upon His foundation, which is the Apostle and the Prophet (Ephesians 2:20). But we do notice two very important aspects of how Jesus establishes His government. It is to be done with Judgement and Justice. Any Church that does not walk in uprightness according to the Word of God concerning judgement and justice should not expect to move forward in the Lord laying a foundation of the Apostolic and Prophetic. This is regardless of a person’s calling or received prophecy. The Word of God stands eternal and there must be judgement and justice.

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2 Today, this is not popular. Church leadership is not honored for what it is supposed to be, both because of the leaders not operating properly and being sold out for God as well as the people of the congregation not being submitted and sold out for our Lord. Church discipline and correction is not well received, and many members will leave as a result of any attempt to do so. We must have endless love toward God’s people, but that love does not mean we should not operate in judgment and justice. We must be loving to the people to administer discipline, as well as loving to the people when they decide to leave our congregations. Love must always remain. Many leaders have probably tried to operate in Church discipline before, and due to the personal hurt and emotional agony have developed emotional mechanisms to guard themselves. They may become isolated and try to justify it with scripture. The only time in scripture that we see a leader (to include Jesus) separate from the people was during times of growth by the Holy Spirit and to draw close to God for a period. Jesus desire is to be near us and we are to model Him! Do not allow your heart to get closed off to the people, it will prevent the field from being prepared for God to set a foundation for the Apostolic and the Prophetic. Let’s look at this from another perspective. All throughout the scriptures we see where Prophets and Apostles are used to administer Judgement and Justice. Deborah, the Judge, was a Prophetess (Judges 4:4) and the Apostles would remove disobedient Christians from the congregation (1 Corinthians 5:5). If this is such a prominent role in the lives of Apostolic and Prophetic leaders then how should we expect God to establish His Kingdom on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets if we are not obedient to operate in the areas of Judgment and Justice? Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. We covered an entire lesson on Church Discipline and the role of the Apostolic and the Church in administering judgement. While we can’t redo the entire lesson here, please go back and review if necessary. II. THE WORD PROCEEDS THE CHURCH 1 Corinthians 4:9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last… The Apostolic is so powerful that it is the one ministry that is revealed last in this earth, and it could only be done after God Himself came down to establish it by direct discipleship to 12 sold out believers! No other person in the history of the Bible, aside from Adam, had this privilege, let alone 12! The Church is the most powerful entity in the history of the world. No other religion has changed the world in the way Christianity has since Jesus Christ established it. All other religions are simply trying to bring the world back to the chaos and form from before Jesus! Copyright © 2016 [Prophetz]. All Rights Reserved. http://bit.ly/prophetz Version 1.0

3 Jesus is the Word of God. Revelation 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipt in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. The Word had to become flesh (John 1:14) and directly ensure the Apostles were setup and released into this earth in order to establish the Church. Nothing is different today! The Word must proceed Apostolic birth, and the Word requires a publisher… the Prophet. This is not a role or a job for those with the gift of Prophecy, but rather those in the Office of the Prophet. If the Apostolic movement of God is not in operation, do not try to do so before the congregation embraces and moves with the voice of God. If the voice of God is foreign to a Church, so will the Apostolic! Being a brethren of the Elders in heaven has a lone qualifier…that we have the Spirit of Prophecy! The Spirit of Prophecy must flow through a Church in order for the Apostolic to become active. Revelation 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Here, the Elder in heaven states that he is one of us, the brethren, who have the spirit of prophecy. This is one of the first principles of being a Christian. We cannot put the horse before the cart so to speak by attempting to establish the Apostolic ministry without the free flowing voice of God through prophecy. For this reason, many Prophets will find themselves carrying the burden of the Lord to establish the Prophetic in the ministries they encounter. This is not the job of an Evangelist or a Pastor who only operate in the Gift of Prophecy. Again, this is the job of the Prophet. Many have found themselves in a great place of frustration trying to manifest the Apostolic and Prophetic movements of God without the Prophet. Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets… The Lord even had John the Baptist proclaim the Word before the arrival of Jesus, and in like manner the manifested Word of God, Jesus, had to prepare the Apostles before they could move in the fullness of the gift. The Word of God must precede any Apostolic movement. Because of this it is a safe conclusion that the Prophet is one of the most attacked ministries of the headship ministries of the Church. The enemy cannot touch a mature and seasoned Apostle, but even the most powerful Prophets seem to be susceptible to the attacks of the enemy (1 Kings 19:1-4). Copyright © 2016 [Prophetz]. All Rights Reserved. http://bit.ly/prophetz Version 1.0

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III. THE PROPHETIC REQUIRES SUBMISSION There is a popular trend for genuine Prophets who walk in the real power of the Lord, to be bitter against submission to the congregational leaders of today’s ministries. None should expect for the Apostolic to manifest through an un-submitted Prophetic ministry. For the Word of God to birth the Apostolic, the Prophetic must be in its proper place and untouched with the defilement of selfish gain and pride. The Prophetic is the gateway to the Apostolic movement of God. Same was in the Old Testament regarding the Kings. It was the Prophets who paved the way and ensured the prosperity of the Kings of Israel. No King was established prior to the Prophet, but the Prophets (God’s Word) proceeded the appointment and actions of the Kings! The Kings went out and came back in upon the Word of God through the Prophet. The Word of God always proceeds God’s appointed leaders in this earth. 2 Chronicles 20:20 …Believe in the Lord your God, so shall you be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. This is the very issue in many Churches today. The congregation and its leaders love the Lord and believe in the Lord, and therefore are established, but do not believe in the voice of the Lord, that He actually speaks! Therefore, from a grade of spiritual advancement and success, do not prosper. The doctrines of men today have caused the Church to judge its success based upon financials, attendance, and notoriety. There are many pitfalls that Prophets can fall into in the context of this conversation, mainly they can become prideful in the knowledge that they are the conduit through which the Church is to “…prosper”. Although true, this fact can never counterbalance submission, that is to say, justify rebellion and division. The prophet must submit to the ministry leaders. It is taught in some doctrines that the Prophet is subject to no one, that even Kings are subjected to the Prophet. Let us clarify this, it is the Word of the Lord through the Prophet that Kings and leaders are to submit to, not the Prophet themselves. This must be understood for there to be unity in the ministry. An un-submitted Prophet can still operate in their gifts, but cannot function as an Elder or ministry leaders and truly build God’s Kingdom regarding a Prophetic or Apostolic ministry. Any building by an un-submitted Prophet will not flourish the way God intended. Matter of fact, it’s so common to see un-submitted Prophets working in their gifts greatly, but because they won’t submit to a ministry and God’s intended structure, it never goes beyond the personal level of Prophecy even through there will be great signs and wonders. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to see greatly gifted Prophets who can walk in so much glory to go “off the rails” so to speak and become a Prophet Gone Wild! No New Testament gift or ministry is meant to function outside the collective congregation! Copyright © 2016 [Prophetz]. All Rights Reserved. http://bit.ly/prophetz Version 1.0

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Prophets are drawn to the Apostolic, because it gives them hope of the fullness of the operation of the Church, however, without submission, it will only be a hinted at fantasy and will not see the manifestation of the intended power of the Church. The true nature of the Church cannot begin unless Prophets submit to their proper covering. Submission is required because the true authority of the Apostle will most likely be unlike anything the Prophet has ever seen, and without submission, they will not be able to build the foundation of the true household of God. If submission to the Church leaders cannot be done according to what we know the Word of God does tell us, how can we expect that the Prophet will submit when the Apostle begins to walk in their authority in matters not clearly laid out in the Word of God? May the Holy Spirit lead and guide you into His truth.

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