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"THE APOSTOLIC LIFE"
~ L.D. Oxford
IT WILL COST YOU EVERYTHING!
Firstly, the call and office of an Apostle is a call of God where He chooses who He wills and affirms that call, and is not something that one would just walk into out of a personal desire for recognition or for a title in ministry.
It takes years of preparation, training and development accompanied by pain, afflictions, heartaches, dissapointments, attacks, failures, losses and set-backs. Does this sound like you and are you sure this is what you really want?
It is a life of hardship and yet is worth the cost because of the glory that is revealed through this calling, yet it is not a life of ongoing honor or prestige as some might suppose, just as the same goes for one that has the true calling of a prophet.
Phil. 1:29- For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake;
Phil. 3:10- That i may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death.
Col. 1:24- Who now, rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body's sake, which is the Church;
2 Tim. 2:12- If we suffer, we shall also reign with HIm;
1 Pet. 4:13-14- But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14, If ye be reproached for the name of Christ , happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you; on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
OPPOSITION AND PERSECUTIONS
Although there are times of honor, great favor and acceptance, the times of persecutions, suffering and hardships usually outweigh those times. The main opposition and persecution usually comes from the religious system and from those who we sometimes think of as our church going brothers and sisters, sadly to say.
Opposition and persecution also comes from the ungodly governments of men who do not believe in God as this also happened in the life of the Apostle Paul.
So primarily, the enemy comes against the Apostles through the Religious system and through the opposition of ungodly governments although Apostles who are walking in the "office" are mature and well equipped to face those challenges because of the power and authority that they are walking in. They can be confrontational and know how to counter the enemy by the authority of the Word through the anointing.
This does not mean that they will often escape suffering though, Because they enter into the Kingdom through tribulations and suffering. This suffering part will also apply to all true believers and servants of Christ who are walking in obedience to the Lord.
Acts 14:22-
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
SIGNS, WONDERS AND MIRACLES
Acts 2:43-
And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
Acts 5:12-
And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.
Romans 15:19-
Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
2 Cor. 12:12-
Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
Signs, wonders and miracles will follow when they are preaching the anointed Word, even more so, on a greater scale, where unbelief does not prevail. Christ himself did not do so many miracles in his own region of familiarity because of their unbelief and the people knowing him as Joseph and Mary's son. This can be the same for Apostolic preachers.
Example In Jesus's ministry
Mt 13:58-
And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Mark 6:1-6-
1 And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. 2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. 4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. 6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.
God responds when He sees faith stirred in the hearts of men, thus it is much the same with Apostolic ministry. An Apostle can go to a third-world country where miracles, signs and wonders will explode on the scene and that same Apostle can go back to their hometown or region and not experience the same great results although they have the same anointing of God.
In our day, there are some cases where a person was either in total unbelief or an atheist, where the Lord would perform a miracle or to heal a person who did not believe, but for the most part, God usually responds to faith that is stirred in the heart of an individual.
But since Jesus said that we would do greater works than He, the time is coming, and is now upon us, when "signs, wonders and miracles will be a common occurance", which shall cause the unbelieving to believe on a greater scale than what we have ever seen before .
This is what it is going to take to draw the masses to become believers in the endtime harvest. The anointed Word confirmed by signs, wonders and miracles together on a massive scale.
The Apostolic anointing always works, yet it works in a greater way when people are hungry and desperate for the Lord. They hear the anointed Word, their faith is stirred, conviction and the fear of the Lord comes, and they are spiritually pulling on the anointing that is going forth. Then it is easy for them to come to the Lord.
This is the reason why so many more spontaneous miracles take place where there are larger crowds of spiritually hungry people, especially in the third-world countries. We can also see this in America in some places, but not on the same scale as of yet... but it is coming!
The more desperate and spiritually hungry people are, the more signs, wonders, healings, miracles and raising the dead, etc. will be manifested.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Many do not see what goes on behind the scenes of those who have this calling or have only seen the favorable side or the times that Apostles have been honored and respected among men. But if you have talked with a true Apostle and have heard them share about their life and experiences, it is not a calling that they would wish on anyone else.. although it is worth the cost to them.
IN MY OWN LIFE
Even in my own life, the Lord has required many sacrifices and to become willing to leave everything behind that was ever precious to me. There were several times in my life where I had to leave all of my family and friends behind to go to the other side of the World in obedience to the Lord and to stay and minister for very long periods of time. During those times i had to study the culture and languages of the people, just so i could minister to them more effectively.
In the beginning, i had to use interpreters wherever i went until i could speak those languages. But the Lord moved mightily, as many souls were reached for the kingdom of God and new ministries were also establshed. But there was a heavy price to pay and it was not easy.
APOSTLES ARE PIONEERS
There is great joy in ministering and pioneering for the Lord, yet there are also many sacrifices, hardships and times where you will be in great personal need as well. But the Lord brings one through those times.
The other side of the coin is when we walk in the approval of God into situations where we are blessed beyond words as the Lord puts individuals and groups of people into our paths, who recognize what the Lord is desiring to do and will stand beside us through thick and thin as we pioneer, equip and establish new works.
But, then there is also the down-side and times of intense opposition and rejection also in other areas. An Apostle is a pioneer who treads out new territories for the Lord and who goes through the pain and hardship so that there may be a way made for others.
Such as going into an area where the gospel is scarce and establishing new works so that others will have more of an opportunity to hear the gospel and to have a place to grow and to learn. It is not an easy life however, although it is a blessed walk. It is a life of experiencing challenges from the religious and ugodly systems with many repercussions that go along with that.
A DEEP CUP OF SUFFERING
I could write volumes on what has happened in the U.S.A, China and in Korea over the last 24 years of my life and there has been a deep cup of suffering that i have had to drink from and more sacrifices made that i would not even care to mention here at this time.
The more that one suffers, the deeper the joy and peace one will experience in Christ, even in the midst of those persecutions, afflictions and hardship. And through all of this the Lord teaches us to appreciate this life and call that He has given to us and we experience a deeper compassion that comes forth in ministering to others.
SACRIFICIAL LOVE
When He becomes our all in all, then nothing else matters except to be obedient to Him and to His commision and call unless we are married and have a family of course, which will bring with it other priorities and limitations which we should not neglect..
And a true Apostle knows what it is to have sacrificial love and has a deep love for others because of what they have walked through themselves. They can feel the pain of others as they have gone through the depths of suffering themselves.
They are not men-pleasers, although they should show higher esteem and respect towards others where it is needed. Also, a true Apostle finds great pleasure in serving others and should be humble before the Lord.
They do not speak of their own humility but demonstrate it with their lives. They are not "proud of their humility." True humility is not a state of mind but is the condition of ones heart through the processing of the Lord.
LAYING DOWN OUR LIVES, EVEN UNTO DEATH
Then to go a step further in sharing, one must be willing to lay down everything, even unto death as the Lord may or may not require us to. Yet, we must still be willing to die to self, even if we are not required to become martyrs. A willingness for both is necessary.
There are many who may like to carry the title of an Apostle but there are fewer that would be willing to pay the price of suffering and to lay down their lives completely for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
DYING TO SELF AND GIVING UP OUR RIGHTS TO BE TREATED EQUALLY AND FAIRLY.
It will cost you everything, even your "personal rights" to become a true Bond-servant of the Lord. This even involves dying to our desires to be treated fairly or holding on to our rights for equality with others. We must die to those things to be a true bondservant of Christ.
God never said that life would "be fair" but he did say that He would be with us and would go with us even to the ends of the earth. He will also reward us according to our obedience which will result in His divine approval and favor.
The Kingdom of God is not a democracy where all men are equal as some may think, but is a Theocracy, which is "The Government of God."
It is true that the Lord loves each and every one of us the same and died for all, but we do not all walk in the same place of obedience and approval with God, nor do we all walk in the same favor .
WE ARE ALL CALLED TO BE SERVANTS TO HIM AND TO SERVE ONE ANOTHER
What we do have in common is that we are all called to be servants of the Lord and to serve one another in Love. And when we walk in obedience to Him, then we become His friends and this is when we walk in His special favor, and not all walk there just because they are Christians and know the Lord. His favor comes through obedience.
Not all are walking in the same level of obedience, thus not all are walking in the same level of favor. All through the entire Bible we can see many examples of this as in the life or Abraham, Moses, Joseph and his brothers etc... God honors obedience and faithfulness to Him and not all are obedient or faithful. So there is no equality with that either.
APOSTLE- NOT VOLUNTEER WORK - BUT OF THE LORD'S CHOOSING
Also, the calling of an Apostle is not something that someone would volunteer for or to decide to become, but is a calling that the Lord chooses and affirms for the ones of His choice. One does not become a Apostle just because they desire to be one.
Believe me, many do not understand the cost that is involved, while trying to cling to their own rights, priviledges and desire for equality with others at the same time. It is a call to lay everything down, (including our opinions about others).
To lay it all down we must also be willing to leave our comfort zones!
MULTI-FUNCTIONAL APOSTLES
There are also different types of Apostles in the Body of Christ and they are not all developed by God from the same cookie cutter, which is another reason why they may be mis-understood, even more.
Apostles are usually very multi-functional in the Five-fold Ministry and may be used by God in a number of ways and in a variety of different positional functions in a ministry setting.
*Examples -
Apostle/Pastor/Teacher, Apostle/Prophet/Teacher, Apostle/Evangelist/Teacher or any other combination of the Five-fold ministry as God chooses.
Some walk in all of the Five-fold Ministry when they are mature in God, yet, i have also met some that were not so multi-faceted but yet they are functioning in accordance to God's plan for their lives.
Also, some oversee networks and others do not. It all depends on what the Lord would require of them to do at a given time of development and maturity in their lives.
They usually always have a tremendous God-given ability to identify callings, to equip, train and to help others find their placement and function in the Body of Christ, even without referring to a manual or testing proceedure. They can usually discern peoples hearts and callings by the Spirit of God.
Lastly, the calling of the Apostle is one thing, and walking in "the office" is another. There are many who have the calling, yet not so many that are walking in the maturity of the Apostolic office.
~L.D. Oxford
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