Yes, I do think your quote addresses exactly what I’m proposing. Sorry I missed the clear connection.

This is what I so appreciate about you Brett. Your unwavering commitment to the things that keep the focus on Jesus as opposed to men creating plans that look good on the outside but over time the seeds of the plant become evident as being more about them, their thing, and their plans, than truly about Jesus.

God help all of us to somehow stay close enough to Him that we smell the flesh’s strategies before they have become full blown deceptions and the traditions of men.

I don’t know how the first apostles avoided the junk that followed after them, but their having done so encourages me that it can happen again. I’d like to think that I could die a relatively unknown person if that ended up being God’s plan for my life, rather than do anything to put the spotlight on me and thus take it off of Him.

I love the idea of solidly Spirit established relationships, and the poweful dialogue that can come of that, but anything that looks like men creating apostolic movements to help God achieve His kingdom purposes just smells wrong to me. When men who don’t even know me, send me letters inviting me to observe the development of an apostolic team something bristles in me in opposition.

I’m sorry if anything I’ve said implies knowing their motives. I just don’t want to see happen what it appears could result from such things.

Thanks for clinging to the cross…pray I join you there and not leave that place.

Tom

I thought I did cover that briefly with statements like this-

“Carnal men love to get the kudos for what they have built. One sure way for wayward Apostles to appease this debased desire is to stamp a name on a group of people- denominating in some manner [3]. This causes the people who identify with that named organization to have their identity in it, not just in the Lord.”

Obviously you have gone into it further, well said. I also see no need for “ongoing apostolic convocations” I do however, see a need for untitled apostles (small a) to gather from time to time to seek the Lord and dialogue together to get further clarity on orthopraxical issues. I completely concur that if it even has a faint smell of movement/network/or other fancy names for denominating, then get out the holy cannon and shoot the thing.

Also, I’m in absolute agreement with your call on the ‘Apostolic (capital A) movement’. We don’t need another movement of any sort. We shouldn’t create things of this nature which inadvertently put men in a limelight and elevate them above others.

The only network I join is Jesus’ which is being led by Holy Spirit to connect with certain people/leaders for what, when and how the Lord wishes and no more.

Also, I’m endeavouring to be open to God throwing me in the midst of the odd convocation/round table (that’s the latest fancy word for it) so I can be an agent of change (I won’t hold back or compromise no matter who is in the room).

Talk soon champ,

Bretto

Great article! With you all the way on every point!

I would add one more that I believe God has been speaking to my heart about, as a concern on His heart.

It is this…

It is the nature of men, and especially leaders, to turn everything God reveals into a justification to build something that begins to takes the focus off Jesus and put it on man, who feels he needs praise, recognition, and power, but doesn’t know this is at work within his heart.

As such, as we watch the Lord/Builder of His Church, re form His Church into something that more closely approaches that which is in His heart for her, we simultaneously watch men refer to it as a “Movement.” Why?

Not desiring to be mean spirited or judgmental of any particular person, I believe the reason that men begin to talk “Movement,” is because once they have defined it as a movement it stirs within them a longing to find their significance in forming that movement. They are no longer singularly interested in focusing the body of Christ on Jesus Himself, but find great satisfaction and life meaning in furthering, developing, and defining the movement and their needed role in that process.

The modern apostolic movement appears to me to be rife with this error. From its very beginning it appeared to be tainted with the finger print of man, rather than exclusively about the glory of Christ.

Has Jesus really created a movement of which He is looking for a few good men to lead it in a coalition format? Is that what the body of Christ truly needs? I’m not at all convinced. I’m observing the same telltale signs of every other manmade movement beginning to attach to many aspects of this developing movement.

Do we really need apostolic convocations? Is Jesus’ work of reforming His Church truly in need of men who will come together and strategize how they might further the move of God in the earth?

If we take Acts 15 as evidence of such an early Church pattern I think we miss the point of Acts 15. When we interface Acts 15 with Galatians 1, and Paul’s involvement in this counsel, I do not see an apostle who was seeking to solidify a movement and rally the support and coalition of apostolic leaders, as much as he was intimately aware of the dangers of the current coalition leading the Church back into legalism and violation of the grace of God among the Gentiles.

Paul does not appear to be seeking a strengthened coalition of apostles, as much as he is lobbying there for taking their collective hands off of what Jesus Himself was doing a fine job of developing. Jesus was building “His” Church, and the Jerusalem elders/apostles were threatening to dishonor their Head, the Lord Jesus, by requiring of the Gentile believers things that completely opposed the Gospel of Christ. He was going to adjust the errors of their collective belief systems, rather than develop a coalition of apostolic leaders. I don’t see him affirming the validity of their coalition, as much as challenging the outcomes of it. They were experiencing collective error rather the potential of coalesced wisdom.

I see no good in this ongoing apostolic convocation. It is one thing for brethren to share meaningful relationship with one another, as led by the Spirit, but creating apostolic summits, as though Jesus’ work could not progress without their collective agreement to work together in leading the Churches, seems arrogant on one hand and foolish on the other. If the beginning of the Church did not necessitate it, and they turned the world upside down, how can it be that it is needed now?

Men have always struggled with finding their significance in Christ alone, and tended to lean towards that which will enhance their sense of significance in developing religious organizations, denominations, and alliances. As men rise in rank among their peers, become the cutting edge voices and communicators to the masses, simultaneously they have always slipped off course and begun to more worship their own plans, the revelations they have received from Christ more than Christ Himself, and their own prominence among men.

All one needs to do, to recognize this tendency, is note the development of the institutional Church after the death of the apostles. Why do we think that going back and starting the whole error all over again is going to yield a different result this time? Isn’t 2000 years of Church history sufficient to warn us against such alliances, such coalitions, such movements? Paul did all the good he did without any alliance to the Jerusalem coalition.

God led Paul to work in relationship with Timothy, Titus, Silas, Trophimus, Epaphroditus, and others, whom Christ had created bonded relationships among. But we don’t see him seeking to create a united apostolic convocation of leaders. He did what he did out of intimate relationship, not with some strategy to form a movement. Throughout his ministry there is such a purity of disconnection from this tendency of man.

These things have always become more of a reproach to the work of God than an enhancement. I see the likelihood of this resulting from the current apostolic movement as being very high.

Sooo, I know my voice is not a popular one in this area, but long ago I gave up the idea of being popular with those who seek to develop their own kingdoms, rubber stamped with Jesus’ name. May God reveal the errant heart motivations and fleshly deceptions of His leaders lest we once again lead His bride away from intimacy with her husband.

You hit the nail on the head- All to King Jesus!