What All the Apostles Had In Common

[Leonard Robinson]

There is something that all the first church Apostles had in common that must be a part of any discussion or assertions of those who would claim to be Apostles today. It is obvious that the first church Apostles had the commonality that they had been with Jesus, even Paul although his experience of Jesus was dynamically supernatural because he didn't "see" Jesus as such, in the way that the other apostles had. But there was something else that these apostles had in common and all apostles are to have in common.

The first church apostles had an undying commitment to the Lord, Jesus Christ, but yet there was still something else that united them in love towards one another. They had a commitment to the promotion of the gospel of the kingdom of God. Their theology was not "power" over others, or "authority" as rulership over men. These apostles were sent ones charged with the responsibility of preaching, teaching and demonstrating the kingdom of God, while presenting that Christ was the king of the kingdom, this new government that had invaded the governments of men.

Today there is much debate about whether there is still such a thing as apostles and apostolic authority. This writing is not for the purpose of joining that debate. Apostle in the simplest terms means "sent one". And as such, we are all living in an apostolic age where we are all to consider ourselves like the "other 70", who were "sent" ones with the power and authority of the kingdom of God, to represent Christ and God's government rule.

Unfortunately, like in all identifiable moves of the Spirit of God man seems compelled to want to harness the move in a claim to Biblical superiority. The problem is that under closer examination you find that there are certain identifying marks of apostleship that go woefully lacking in the lives and personalities of many of those who would lay claim to an apostleship.

If we examine apostles scripturally, from a surface study we would find that they were "called", they were "sent" and that they had power and authority to heal sickness and that they preached the kingdom of God. So many apostles "so called" today don't even come close to this reality. They are preaching the doctrine of power over others in a quest to build their own kingdoms in the name of God, instead of pronouncing to the nations of the world that the kingdom of God has arrived in power, and that salvation is the means of experiencing the kingdom now.

The Apostles of the first church had in common their great love for Christ and their great love for one another. They were bound together in "spirit" not by a desire to "separate" themselves from the people, but more so they were bound together by the same love that brought them into a relationship with the Father. These apostles were not known by their agreement to covenant with one another, they were known by their love for one another that came from their covenant relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Apostles of the first church were unified by their love of the brethren and love of the saints as much as their love for Christ and God. These Apostles truly loved not their lives unto their deaths. May we all be delivered from the seduction of power and pride of our calling and submit to the authority of the King, with humility of mind and heart, and serve the truth of the kingdom of God and power to mankind.

Real kingdom authority is not in how much you can project spirtual superiority over men. Real kingdom authority is in your ability to manifest kingdom rule over demon spirits, sickness and disease as you extoll the virtues of living a kingdom lifestyle in the midst of persecutions and a government system that has failed. In the Kingdom man does not promote himself, he only promotes the king and the kingdom he has been sent to represent.

So all the apostles of the first century church had in common, their love for Christ, the great commission, the kingdom of God, and their love for one another. They were bound together in the "spirit" by their calling and commission to represent the king and the kingdom to the nations of the world, and they were bound together by the same love Jesus had loved them with, whereby they could now love one another as together, they could call on the Father, as brothers.

May we all deliver ourselves from the foolishness of men and return to the simplicity of the kingdom life, walking in God's love, Word and power, turning the world upside down yet again. If the kingdom is not a kingdom of love, it cannot be a kingdom of power because faith works by love, and love is the very force of kingdom righteousness.

God's Ambassador
Pastor Leonard Robinson
267-357-9816