Culture of the Kingdom
Today’s Topic: The Apostles’ Doctrine: Understanding the Apostolic Part 2
Scripture: Romans 10:14-17
Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Why does God speak through the apostolic and what is their function in the culture of the Kingdom? Remember God is revealing mysteries. Let’s look at a familiar scripture and break this down because when you see it, your spirit will rejoice because the reality has come to you and you are not living this scripture through the doctrines of man.
Romans 10:17: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”
So faith comes not by reading or seeing but by hearing. Now remember not to pass words by. People quote this scripture all the time but it would make sense if it is explained in its entirety. When the scripture says “so faith” that is indicative that faith is a result or is the consequence of what has been previously said and that you have faith because you have heard the word of God which comes to you. Ok sounds simple but how does the word of God come to you?
Romans 10:14,15: “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things”
Then Romans 10:17 goes on to say “So faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God”
Let’s draw this back and put the entire thing in context. In the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 8:3: “…Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live”. Now this same thing was said in the New Testament in Jesus response to Satan’s temptation: Matthew 4:4 “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” So faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. The word of God comes to your ears. Now the word of God based upon the scriptures above is food for the spirit. So when the word of God comes to your ears, it nourishes your spirit and produces faith. But how does the word of God come from the mouth of God to your ears? Let’s bring it home! If you look at Romans 10:15 the answer is, it is the one that God sends or better yet it is the “sent one” from God. The original Greek meaning for the word “sent” in verse 15, you will see a very revealing truth. The word “sent” in Romans 10:15 in the Greek is “Apostello”. Apostello is the word derived from Apostolos which means Apostle. Is an Apostle a preacher? Absolutely because they preach (declare) the word of God. Jesus in Matthew 10:7 sent the apostles out and told them to preach (declare) “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”. So the one the God sends, brings the word of God in season and that’s the word of God that comes from God to your ear because the mouth of the preacher is the substitute mouth of God. So the person bringing the word of God in the season has to be sent. He can’t be who we voted for in a democratic meeting or setting. Better yet, He cannot be the one we favor and want because he knows “how to preach”. HE MUST BE SENT FROM GOD! Now I learned something unique about the word “Apostolos”. In Greece the mail trucks had the word Apostolos on them. The apostolos are the ones that deliver the mail. Hmm! They deliver someone else’s mail to another person! So the mailman is the “one sent” to deliver the mail. The apostles are the ones sent to deliver the word of God (mail) to the people.
Now here is a warning! If the denomination or culture you live in does not recognize or ignores the apostles: there is no CURRENT word from God. When you build religion around that mindset, you are at best receiving a type or shadow of the reality because the word of God that is to reveal the reality has been withdrawn for lack of faith. This is why many denominations seem to continue in circles and never really grow spiritually. They do the same thing over and over and it does not seem that they ever change. But God changes in the way He deals with us and He sends a word through the apostolic in the New Season or the season you are in to let you know exactly what God is doing. I will never forget December 31, 2009 the Lord spoke to me and told me to tell the people that in 2010 “I am Restoring Families”. Now when I got before my home church for youth ministry I told the people what God said word for word. The people looked back at me and stared as if I said something crazy. But it was not until around March or April 2010, I began to see exactly what God was doing. He was restoring physical families back to order by reuniting mothers and daughters, sons and fathers. He was bringing people back in fellowship with the family of God in the church but most of all where I saw it was in this very ministry. When we shift from series to series, we are led by God on what to discuss. For most of this year we have been discussing the House of God, the Family of God and the Ministry of Reconciliation. God was really bringing to the forefront restoration of His Family. God is beginning to mature the sons of God who are accepting of their place in the Kingdom and willing to do the will of God. The early church was led by the apostles, not pastors but apostles. I urge any and all denominational and non-denominational churches, do not ignore the voice of the apostolic because if you do, your church will be like a traditional revolving door, ever circling, but never excelling.
At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.
