Apostolic Education Series:
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT APOSTLES:
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Here are the top 10 questions that are being asked about apostles. It's necessary for Second 8th Week Ministries, Inc. to address these questions as God is breaking down the barrier of confusion that disallows His work through the Headship of Christ. Please prayerfully read these questions and answers and consider what God is doing to bring the Body together into one doctrine of Christ, freeing the Body from the aspiration and principle of man, renewing the altar of Christ. This is the miracle that all Christians have been prayerfully awaiting. |
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Apostles steward the grace of God through their calling (I Cor.4:1; Phil.1:7). Jesus Christ mediates the covenant as the apostles steward the grace of God through their calling. Through this stewardship Jesus delivers pure doctrine to the Church and the Body comes into one theology. Jesus also mediates the covenant as each individual Christian stewards the grace of God their calling. Jesus also mediates the covenant as believers walk by faith, using the tools of the covenant, keeping Jesus' commandments. These are the works of the covenant which are joined to our faith to make our faith living; the operation of God is in these works of the covenant, the mediation of Jesus Christ is in these works of the covenant, and the effectual working of the Holy Ghost is in these works of the covenant. These are the works of our first love.
2. Are Apostles the Only Ones Who Receive Grace?
ANSWER:
There are 3 basic
manifestations of grace:
1. Jesus gives -- GRACE FOR
DOCTRINE
2. Jesus gives -- GRACE FOR
SALVATION / GROWTH 3. Jesus gives -- GRACE FOR CALLING
We read the words of the apostle Paul in Eph. 3:2,3, “If you have heard of the dispensation (measure) of the grace of God which is given to me for you; how that by REVELATION He MADE KNOWN unto me the MYSTERY...” This is the grace of God Jesus gives to the apostle's office to deliver doctrine to the Church.
Does this mean that grace is ONLY given to the apostles? NO. The grace of God for salvation and growth comes from God to each individual to reveal Christ through the gifts of the Spirit, through prayer, through the preaching of truth, through dreams and visions. God uses these means to draw the sinner to Christ, to write His commandments upon the heart and mind of each believer, to conform them to the image of Christ (Heb.10:16).
The grace of God is MANIFOLD. Growing in the grace of God requires each believer to learn how to steward the manifold grace of God (I Pet.4:10; II Pet.3:18). This is how each believer walks and pleases God, and grows into the fullness of Christ.
Those who are serious about stewarding the grace of God are also serious about preparing for their calling. Whether apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher, God has a calling for you. Each calling comes with an enablement, a measure of grace to function in that calling. The government of God may begin with apostles, but does not end with apostles. The government of God is made up of all the callings working together as one under the Headship of Christ.
3. If the Apostle Teaches Doctrine, Do I Need To Read the Bible?
ANSWER: Yes!! You do need to read the Bible. This seems to be an obvious answer, but an answer that is necessary to give nonetheless. When Christians begin the process of restoration to the original foundation of truth, they need to continue to read the scriptures daily. The Spirit of God will confirm the pattern of Christ in scripture as the foundation is being laid in you. You will be able to identify Christ through the Record, not precept and line. The Spirit will identify Christ through the Witness.
Once the foundation knowledge is laid in order (through the oversight of the apostles' office), each believer continues to draw upon that one foundation to walk in their salvation, and the Spirit of God will continue to unfold Christ to the understanding of the believer as they read the Bible. Because the foundation is set in Christ, the Record and the Witness will agree.
Jesus Christ, as the chief corner stone and foundation of our faith is laying one foundation of truth through apostles, not many foundations of many truths about Himself. The Spirit of God draws upon that one foundation of truth that is set in the heart to confirm Jesus Christ. When Christ is confirmed through the Record and the Witness we take on His likeness. God is bringing the Body into unity of the Word and Spirit.
4. If Apostles Teach Doctrine, How Do I Follow Christ?
ANSWER:
Jesus Christ is the PATTERN for our faith. Through the doctrine of Christ we are enabled through the Spirit to follow Jesus Christ as the pattern of our faith. The apostles deliver to the Church through teaching and example the true pattern that is in Christ.
Acts 5:42
I Cor.4:16,
"Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me."
I Cor.11:1,
"Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." Phil.3:17, "Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample."
From these scriptures we see that apostles DO teach the doctrine of Christ, and that the apostle Paul DID say, "follow me" but ONLY in the context of how he was following Christ. Christ is the blueprint, the corner stone, the foundation. So it is not the aspiration, principle, vision, or drive, or ambition of a man that we are following, but the pattern of faith that is in Christ Jesus.
II Cor.9:13, “While by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ……” The apostles, although they taught the doctrine of Christ and gave the example of how to practice perfect faith, did not bring the believers into subjection to themselves.
God designed salvation in a very unique way that disallows the aspiration or principle of man to enter in at any point. The Church today has yet to experience this marvel of Christ's true gospel. What begins in truth ends in charity. What begins in faith also ends in charity. What Christ has authored through the framework of truth to represent Him, He also is the finisher of; what Christ has authored through the articles of faith, and work of the Spirit to represent Him, He also is the finisher of. The fruit will bear witness to the author not to the messenger.
When the truth is crafted in Jesus' likeness and comes through His government, then the fruit will also be crafted in Jesus' likeness because it comes through the Spirit.
The believer is protected from the aspiration and principle of man through both the Record and the Witness when the grace of God is present through government, truth, and Spirit.
The framework of truth is set by God IN Jesus Christ, not IN a man. This means that it requires both the mediation of Jesus Christ and the operation of God through the Spirit as the believer joins himself to God. The Witness reflects the Record as the water reflects the face of the sky. This is the mystery of Christ and the power of the gospel that Christians have yet to walk in.
5. Are Apostles Taking Away the Priesthood Of the Believer?
ANSWER: No. It is unscriptural to say that apostles take away the priesthood of each believer. We won't find that pattern in the book of Acts. Believers say that apostles take away the priesthood of the believer because the Church has wandered away from their priestly duties at the altar of Christ. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit through apostles, God is renewing the altar of Christ (II Chron.15:8).
The early apostles successfully functioned in their calling without taking away the priesthood of the believer; true apostles today also successfully function in their calling without taking away the priesthood of the believer.
6. Do Apostles Replace Jesus Christ?
ANSWER: No. It is unscriptural to say that apostles replace Jesus Christ. We won't find that pattern in the book of Acts. The early apostles successfully functioned in their calling without replacing Jesus Christ; true apostles today also successfully function in their calling without replacing Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. Apostles are not the way, the truth, and the life.
Jesus Christ shed His blood upon the cross for our redemption. Apostles do not shed their blood for redemption.
Jesus Christ rose from the dead to oversee the covenant in the heart of each believer through the Holy Ghost. Apostles do not fulfill this in themselves, but in Christ Jesus.
7. How Can an Apostle be the Authority for Truth if the Holy Spirit is the Authority for Truth? Are Apostles Preaching NEW Doctrine?
ANSWER: The authority of truth lies in the Headship of Jesus Christ not in each individual Christian. Jesus Christ has ascended into heaven. Jesus uses vessels He chooses called apostles, and the Holy Spirit works with those vessels to deliver doctrine to the Church (II Cor.5:19,20). This is the biblical pattern that Jesus uses to deliver doctrine to the Church.
The apostle Eric does not preach or teach NEW doctrine. There is nothing NEW about Jesus Christ. The original foundation knowledge of Christ is being restored.
We have all seen, first hand, what happens when Christians expect doctrine to flow through them individually, there is no corporate unity in the Body; believers are found to be scrambling for some ‘common ground’ unity that compromises truth and does not bring the fullness of Christ.
When each individual Christian tries to use the Holy Spirit to teach them doctrine there is mass confusion. Is the Holy Spirit confused, teaching each Christian doctrine that is in direct opposition to the next Christian? No.
Moses was the contact point for the people, not because there was any virtue in him as a man, but that God was using him. The people were NOT joining their faith to Moses, but joining their faith to God through the laws and commandments that God delivered to Moses. Those who heard the words of Moses and obeyed were sanctified of God. This was the beginning of the First Covenant government.
In the Second Covenant we have a new law coming through Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. He came to redeem mankind and provide a new law within Himself, the law of grace and truth (Jn.1:16,17).
Although this law is set within the heart of each believer by the Holy Spirit through the grace He provides for salvation and growth (which causes an individual relationship with the living God) the doctrine of truth comes through government. God uses vessels He chooses, and gives them a measure of grace for doctrine and calls them apostles.
Apostles are given as the contact point for the people concerning doctrine, not because there was any virtue in the person, but because God is using the vessel. Believers are NOT joining their faith to an apostle, they are joining their faith to God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and enabled to walk in perfect faith according to the apostles' doctrine. Those who heeded the words of the apostle through the Headship of Christ in the book of Acts, and obeyed the doctrinal commandments of Jesus Christ which came through apostles, were sanctified of God. This was the beginning of the Second Covenant government.
God uses a MAN (or
woman) and the METHOD.
8. If a Person is Called as an Apostle, Shouldn't True Humility be Seen in the Fact That The Person Doesn't Talk About it?
ANSWER: No, that's false humility. True humility is seen in the submission of the heart to the grace of God. It is God that humbles the will to Himself through a divine process that carnal believers try to copy by creating a void. The pride of man is not subdued because we create a void for it, it is subdued through the grace of God.
It's unbiblical to say that if a person is called as an apostle he should not make it known. It's equally unbiblical to say that making your calling known is an earmark of spiritual pride.
Believers who have a problem with apostles making known their calling are identifying themselves as the ones who put a boast into that calling. God did not put a boast into any calling. God's government is not structured as man's government where those in position use aspiration and principle to bring honor to themselves, and bring others to serve them in order to build a kingdom in their own name. Let's consider the scriptures:
I Cor.1:1, "Paul, CALLED to be an APOSTLE of Jesus Christ through the will of God..."
Gal.1:1, "Paul, an APOSTLE, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead.)"
I Pet.1:1, "Peter, and APOSTLE of Jesus Christ....."
Were these apostles giving witness to themselves or to Jesus Christ? Were they preaching themselves and their calling, or were they preaching Jesus Christ? Were these apostles proud boasters because they let it be known that they were apostles?
These called apostles were preaching and giving witness to Jesus Christ. They identified themselves as apostles because they were pointing to Christ and the order of His government. They did not write or teach or preach in their own name, but in the name of Jesus Christ and from the position of grace granted to them. In identifying themselves as apostles, they were identifying the position from which they were stewarding the grace of God.
God put His likeness into Jesus Christ, not into apostles. That's why Jesus is called the righteousness of God. The FRAMEWORK of truth is IN Him, not in apostles. Apostles simply lay that foundation in the heart of the believers. The government is upon Jesus' shoulders, not apostles. Apostles simply fulfill their lot in that government. Apostles do not stand alone, they are called of God, selected and prepared.
9. God has Always Spoken to Me and Revealed Himself to Me Without Apostles, Why do I Need Apostles Now?
ANSWER: The grace of God has been poured out upon all flesh to make known and reveal the need for salvation through Jesus Christ. This is why Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me," Jn. 12:32.
This is why people from all walks of life and all religious backgrounds can come together and tell of the wonderful stories of how God has touched their lives in very unique ways. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son......." Jn.3:16.
There are two things that should be realized: 1. God did not touch mankind with His grace to then send them all on their own separate ways. The purpose of grace is to bring each into covenant with God, into one Body of believers.
2. God's revelation of Christ to each individual through His grace is not given to confirm a particular religious background, but is given to draw all souls to Christ. These experiences do not sanctify the soul, but draws the soul to come and experience the reality of Christ through salvation.
We see in Acts chapter 10 that God revealed Himself to Cornelius in a vision, and through angelic visitation before he met the apostle Peter. This experience did not sanctify Cornelius, nor seal his faith. It was necessary for him to send for Peter (an apostle) in order to hear the message of Christ and be taught how to come into covenant with God and how to serve God with perfect faith.
The grace of God is being poured out upon all flesh, but all flesh is not saved. The disciples asked Jesus, "...Are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able," Lk.13:23,24. God did not send Jesus Christ into the world to shed His blood for the redemption of mankind and then initiate an open door policy for faith which allows into His kingdom all faiths that represent man's imaginations and private interpretations of Jesus Christ. These, attempting to enter in, shall not be able.
Even though God helps a great many people through their personal struggles because He is a compassionate God, the Body has not come together as ONE; Christians don't know how to function in their priesthood, and they are not prepared to evangelize the world. God must first set the Body at liberty. Because of the void left by the absence of the apostle's office in spiritual government, Christianity has centered on 'seeking truth'. This has brought the Church into bondage to false doctrine and the Tares that Satan has sown in the Church.
10. If the Body of Christ Comes Into One Faith Through Doctrinal Unity, Are Apostles Stamping Out Robot Christians?
ANSWER: It is unscriptural to believe that 'coming into one theology' through the apostles' doctrine will create 'robot' Christians. The apostles in the early Church did not deliver to Jesus Christ rubber stamped Christians, so there is no reason to believe that apostles today who are called of God will bring Christianity into a mechanized Church with no heart or soul.
The Body does not understand the difference between the blueprint of truth which is the same for each believer, and the experience and path of regeneration that is unique to each believer.
Satan has caused an unfounded fear of apostles that has spread through the Church like wild fire to discourage the Wheat from moving with the wind of the Spirit. Satan has sown the lie through the Tares that if the Church is brought into one doctrine of Christ, they will mechanically go through the motions of faith, accepting doctrine without an original thought of their own.
This is not so. Remember that the Record is Christ, not paper and ink (Jn.1:1). The knowledge of Christ is living. Jesus said that His kingdom was not of this world, therefore His truth is also not as the truth of this world. The knowledge of Christ brings life to the soul of man (Jn.6:63); this is why the Witness of the Spirit accompanies the Record.
The ORDER of the knowledge of Christ does not change. That ORDER is being restored through the Holy Spirit's ministry through apostles. All believers will speak the same thing concerning Christ and His redemption, coming into one understanding of the ORDER of God's plan through Christ (I Cor.1:10; Phil.2:2).
Remember we have said that there is grace given for doctrine, and grace for salvation / growth, and grace for calling. Each member of the Body is given a unique measure of grace to steward for their growth and to fulfill their calling, that Christ may be all and in all. Through the Witness of the Spirit which is joined to the Record, and through the grace given for growth and calling, each believer walks out a very individualized and personal walk with God. All being able to confirm Christ with one mind, and with one mouth glorifying Him; loving God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, and able to, at last, love their neighbor as themselves.
SUMMARY: The Spirit of God is speaking to the Body of Christ to come into 'ONE THEOLOGY.' Bishop Clement was heard to say that on a TBN broadcast, as he was being interviewed by Bishop Earl Paulk who presides over “The Cathedral at Chapel Hill” in Georgia. This broadcast was aired March 26, ‘03.
God has a plan to bring the Body into one theology. When God has a plan, He also has a means to implement that plan, and vessels in place to fulfill that plan. While unfaithful stewards still desire God to bring the Body into one theology through a doctrinal pool to which all contribute, this has already proved to be impossible, an undertaking detrimental to faith, and in direct contradiction to scripture. Pure doctrine comes through the Headship of Christ through the office of the apostle, these are called to steward the grace of God and bring the Body into one faith.
TAKE COURAGE:
Jesus has said, “There shall be a UNITY that is not FEIGNED, and a ONENESS that is not DECEITFUL.” |
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Special Invitation |
To: Second 8th Week
University; Student Admissions Department
Re: Discipleship Training
Cc: Distance Learning Department
For 30 years the Church has been predicting a revolutionary change. While others are still predicting this move of God to perfect the Church and restore all things, Second 8th Week Ministries, Inc. and its University have implemented the application of this change and graduates are now daily experiencing the rewards of the fullness of Christ's promise of salvation. God's Intelligent Design Christ-Centered Spiritual Transformation in the soul is the true "sign and wonder" that mark the ministry of true apostles to the Church. Believers are now empowered to extract themselves from emotional and financial exploitation.
By this revolutionary change God is now refitting the Church to the Headship of Jesus Christ and the First Generation Knowledge through Apostolic Stewardship and Governance. Would you like to benefit spiritually by this restoration work God is now providing the Church and have the original foundation of truth set in you by TRUE living apostles? Second 8th Week University freely offers a Choice Education program that will provide you with accredited Education in the New Covenant, with follow on higher education opportunities to be prepared and confirmed into your calling to spiritual government, and to achieve a Baccalaureate, Masters and Ph.D. degree. The Harvest will require many laborers who have been properly prepared in truth.
You can start by enrolling in our "Foundation Series" which is a 6-9 month free education course. This course will give you critical faith training and life skills to equip you to make daily choices of faith for the tangible and sustained Christ-Centered Spiritual Transformation experiences Jesus Christ promised those who would abide in His truth. We will take your faith off the "journey" and provide you with the stability and simplicity of Christ so that you can meet your spiritual goals and experience completion and fullness in Him everyday. Dr. vonAnderseck has conducted 5 years of clinical studies, documenting over 5000 experiences with international faith participants around the world who have graduated from the University. These studies show a 100% success rate in achieving long term sustained Christ Centered Spiritual Transformation goals using one blueprint of truth for faith, while still retaining cultural and ethnic diversity. This is unprecedented in the history of modern Christianity. We invite you to partake of this global restoration work and this free accredited Christian Education program.
All of our education programs are at no cost and guaranteed to educate you in understanding your origin, and achieving your spiritual purpose and destiny.
Dr. Eric vonAnderseck, Th.D., D.D.
Apostle of Jesus Christ
Apostle of the Second 8th Week
President, Second 8th Week Ministries, Inc.
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Revised: 04/20/08
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