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THE
APOSTOLIC IS COMING By:
P. Keith Davis Recently, the Lord gave a very compelling prophetic experience or vision to depict the season in which we are living. In it, a prophet we know and have utmost respect for, entered a room of leaders being prepared for this next season of the Spirit. This mature and loyal prophet stood before the leaders and announced with great power and strength, "the Apostolic is coming." As he did, a voice of ultimate authority echoed from Heaven, "The Apostolic IS Coming." With that
affirmation, the prophet continued, "we
had better get a good understanding of apostolic ministry under
us... for it will be on top of us before we know it. Samuel is a
type of this apostolic leadership. The Lord did let none of his words fall
to the ground nor did he beg his bread from the people." THE
SPIRIT OF PROPHECY In
this experience the Lord is indicating valuable attributes in the life and
ministry of the prophet Samuel depicting qualities He desires to impart to the
apostolic leadership soon to emerge. Careful study in the life of Samuel
will provide key secrets to help us qualify for this leadership and touch the
heart of the Father in our preparation. Very
often, in prophetic experiences of this nature, a person we know and recognize
as a true prophet of the Lord can actually represent the Lord Himself or the
Spirit of Prophecy bringing a timely message from the heart of the Father.
When
the prophet announced on the earth that the apostolic is coming, it was verified
with a heavenly voice to accentuate its certainty. In the
scriptures, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Lord to take up His
residence in Him, a voice descended from Heaven as an affirmation of this great
reality. (Luke 3:22) Likewise,
when the disciples witnessed the Lord’s transfiguration, they also heard the
affirming Voice declaring Him to be the Son of God Who’s words were eternal.
The attesting Voice from Heaven seems to indicate a truth that is established
with certainty to be readily accepted. The apostolic is coming and the
better understanding we have of it under us, the more likely we will be to
sustain this awesome ministry without being overcome by the intensity and power
of it. Let us pray that we can faithfully administer this notable
responsibility with character and integrity. SAYING
ONLY WHAT HE SAYS The
Lord did let none of Samuel's words fall to ground. What a profound
indication of intimacy and relationship between the Lord and His leadership.
We
must likewise be so intimate with the Lord that we say nothing in His name but
what we have received by “a revelation of Jesus Christ”. (Gal.
1.12) Samuel did not speak in the name of the Lord presumptuously nor
carelessly. Therefore, the Lord was able to perfectly support the words he
spoke to the people in the Name of the Lord. The
scriptures describe the Lord, our ultimate example, as being so yielded to the
Holy Spirit that he said nothing but what he heard from the Father and did
nothing but what he saw the Father doing.
Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words
that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in
Me does His works. (John 14.10) We
can likewise abide in such a place of surrender to the Holy Spirit that He would
let none of our words “fall to the ground” because we would not speak in His
name unless we first heard from Him. For all who are being led by the
Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Rom 8:14) The
Holy Spirit abiding in us will do the same works through us that He did in the
Lord, fulfilling the prophetic promise of John 14.12. HE
DID NOT BEG HIS BREAD FROM THE PEOPLE One
of the most notable attributes in the life of Samuel is his determination not to
abuse his position and privileges before God and the people. There was not
one person in all of Israel who could bear witness against Samuel for pleading
for money, possessions or property. Neither did he allow the spirit of
this world to affect his ability to judge the people in righteousness and
equity. The apostolic leadership soon to emerge should likewise be
characterized by humility and genuine love for the people.
The
apostle Paul admonished the Church of Corinth and the Church of this day to
stand in righteousness to judge the affairs of men with wisdom and truth.
To do so we must possess the character of Christ reflected in Samuel to be free
from the tendency to abuse the anointing and authority of God for unrighteous
gain. Certainly,
there is a place for giving and supporting the work of the ministry and sharing
in the fruitful labors of the anointing. This is an issue of the
heart and like Paul we must pray to be trustworthy stewards of the mysteries,
power and provisions of God. The prosperity coming to the church
will be for kingdom purposes not personal luxury and extravagance.
The apostolic church in the book of Acts shared all things in common and
delegated resources according to need, reflecting love and unity. THE
LORD’S SPOKESMEN Like
Samuel, the anointed leadership the Lord is desiring to bring to His church will
stand before Him as His spokesmen extracting the precious from the profane.
To them, the Lord will be as a fortified wall of bronze and though the enemy
will contend with them, he will not prevail because the Lord will be present to
save and deliver. This will further the restoration promised through the
prophet Joel.
The
ministry of Samuel was established by the Lord’s manifest Presence in the
order of Moses and Aaron. As priests, they were charged with the role of
intercession on behalf of God’s people and instruction in the ways of
righteousness. Faithfulness in these areas will begin to lead the church
out of Babylonian confusion and restore her to a place of loyalty and
consecration to the Lord. If the Lord can find a people
without mixture...He will send the Spirit without measure. These
faithful leaders were transitional men in covenant relationship with the Lord
for transitional times and marked a point of demarcation for the people of God.
This perfectly illustrates the nature of the Apostolic leadership the Lord will
use in this day. These three represent the Priest/Prophet/Judge (Kingly)
anointing that will be entrusted to this maturing leadership. To each of
these three, God proved Himself in Mercy and in Judgement. PRIEST-
PROPHET- JUDGE ANOINTING The
coming apostolic ministers will be as pillar of cloud by day with prophetic
anointing that will function as a pillar of fire by night giving illumination.
Each will provide a canopy of protection through the Holy Spirit even as Israel
was protected during the judgements of Egypt. The shelter of Goshen will
become apparent in the coming season. The
Lord will allow nothing to come upon the earth unless He first reveals His
secret counsel to His servants. (Amos 3:7). Moses, Aaron and Samuel
each represent types of the coming government. The manner in which the
Lord used these men will also portray the coming leadership and God’s dealings
with them. He is going to give divinely granted understanding.
The scriptures declare that the breadth of God gives understanding. He is
going to breathe upon us to give comprehension of these times and the things we
must do to walk intimately with Him as His habitation. COMMISSIONING
AND RELEASE Even
though Samuel was born through covenant relationship with incredible destiny, he
did not experience the supernatural dealings of God until his prophetic
commissioning.
There
may be many who feel as though they do not qualify for this type leadership
because they have not had prophetic or supernatural experiences in their life.
However, the scriptures make it plain, the Word of the Lord had not appeared to
Samuel until a very specific commissioning experience released him into his
purpose and calling. Many of today’s “Samuel” type leadership have
been hidden and unfamiliar with the visions and revelations of the Lord.
Nonetheless, great and profound expressions of the Spirit are imminently
awaiting these leaders once the grooming is complete and the timing appropriate
for their release. |
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Last modified: April 27, 2003
