Introduction

Modern day apostleship is a very controversial subject within today's Christianity. The vast majority of professing Christians believe that there are no apostles being sent by Jesus on missions today but many others dispute that opinion. I am one of the Christians who dispute it and I feel led by God to here give you the reasons that I have for so doing.

Romans 15:18 - For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me....

Here I am testifying about what I believe to have been Jesus Christ's supernatural workings to inform me of my apostolic appointment and then to guide me in it for over 35+ years! So here I have substantiated everything that I have written about my apostlic mission with what I believe are rightly divided Biblical verses and teachings. And here I have also given some very unique testimonies about the Lord's powerful substantiating movements within my life and also within the lives of other Christians with whom He has led me to fellowship.

I ask you the reader to approach these teachings and testimonies with an open mind and a humble and prayerful spirit, desiring only to find God's truth, not mine, about modern day apostleship.

Isaiah 1: 18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord....

So please set aside all of your preconceived notions on this subject and permit God to speak to you in a way that you can understand and believe, as to whether or not this spiritual church office gift is for Christians today (as I am here contending that it is).

Every one of my teachings which are within this blog are open to being corrected and / or improved upon thru thoughtful responses from you, the readers whom God has sent here. You may post your constructive criticisms and / or suggestions in a comment at the bottom of each teaching's entry or you may e-mail them privately to me at - anonymousapostle@gmail.com.

Periodically, I will revisit every teaching within this blog in order to add more pertinent testimonies and / or more substantiating Scriptures to it and also to make corrections and / or improve it. That's when I will update each of them with any truths that I find God giving me from within your comments about them.

James 3:17 - The wisdom from above is first pure...

My prayer is that everything written on this blog is now (or will ultimately become thru editing), completely true to God and His word so that through it everyone that reads its entries may gain wisdom that it is Scripturally pure.

If this is your first visit here, please start with the first two Archive entries in March 2008 below because these are foundational teachings regarding modern day apostleship. Please also read the 3rd entry for substantiating testimonial evidence of my own apostolic ministry.

All entries beyond these first 3 contain various teachings and testimonies which I feel that God has moved me (in my apostolic role) to bring forth to edify you, my readers. The sum total of all of these entries are the ongoing annals of this anonymous modern day apostle who humbly strives to serve our glorious Lord Jesus Christ because...

Isaiah 61:10 - I delight greatly in the Lord...

Thank you.

Friday, April 25, 2008

13. God speaks to us thru the casting of lots.

Proverbs 16:33 - The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly of the Lord [even the events that seem accidental are really ordered by Him].

Is the flipping of coins a viable way to hear from God today? David used something similar (the Urim and the Thumim) to repeatedly inquire of God as to when or how to do battle.

The priests would use this device to determine the guilt or innocence of parties to crimes unseen by humans.

The first apostles resorted to the lot to inquire of God as to which of the accompanying disciples was to replace Judas and become known as one of the twelve apostles.

Acts 1:26 - And they drew lots [between the two], and the lot fell on Matthias

In my own life I feel that I have been moved by the Lord to utilize the casting of lots to help me to find God's will for many, many different events. I have cast lots hundreds of times over the past 25 years of ministry using the yes or no answer symbolized by a coin flip of heads or tails.

However, in order to be sure that God truly wanted to so speak to me whenever I felt moved to cast a lot on an issue, the first coin flip was to ask Him if He did want to so speak to me (heads = yes, tails = no). Whenever I received a tails = no answer to that first coin flip I would then proceed the hard way to act in that event about which I was inquiring. I took that path in order to be sure that I was not self gratifying in my actions.

If I was given the heads = yes answer to go ahead cast another lot on the issue and then I received a tails = no answer, I did the same thing. If I received a heads = yes answer to my query, I would proceed down that path and if it was the easier path I would proceed without fear of self gratification. Either way, in following this procedure, I always reached peace about the matter of which I was inquiring and I always ended up blessed in my subsequent actions.

I do not recommend this method of seeking God's will to anyone who is not absolutely wholehearted to do His will. Remember that after Saul ceased to be sold out to God, he could no longer find the Lord's will thru his use of the Urim and the Thummim!

I Samuel 28:4 - 6 - So the Philistines gathered together and came and camped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together and they camped in Gilboa.

When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly.

When Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets.

Also remember that we are not fighting enemies of flesh and blood but we are standing against evil enemies of the spirit world who wish to misdirect us in all of our affairs. So, tools like this one and others like dreams and visions appear like foolishness to the worldly wise who have fallen into their mind trap. But they are actually brilliantly designed faith weapons from God which in certain circumstances are the only means that God will use to show us to not fall for their misdirections!

Never underestimate any of these spiritual devices and not utilize or follow them or you may be very sorry!

Posted by Unknown at 10:41 PM

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The method of instruction utilized here.

Here, you will learn the wonderful truths regarding each entry's subject with which I feel that God has rewarded me over the years.

Hebrews 11:6b - ...He rewards those who DILIGENTLY seek Him!

I believe that the truths found within each of these Biblical teachings have been given to me by God as gifts for seeking Him with all of my heart.

Jeremiah 29:13 - You will seek Me and you will find Me when you seek Me with all of your heart.

I also believe that these truths have been accompanied by all of the supernatural substantiations from Him to which I here testify. These teachings and testimonies will not be found anywhere else that I know of.

Psalm 119:99 - I have better understandings and deeper insights than all of my teachers because Your testimonies are my meditation.

However, whenever I am led by God to encounter a really good Internet teaching which has been authored by another(that fits within the context of one of my own teachings), I will inform you of it and I will provide you with a link to it. It is not important to me if any of the information here that God wants to be shared with you is authored by me or by someone else. What is important to me is that you be given true teachings of God and His Word, no matter whom He uses to bring them forth.

All of these doctrinal studies are being compiled here just as I believe that God says in His Word that they are to be compiled.

Isaiah 28:9 - 10a - ...to whom shall He teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine?

... For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept...

I believe that God's Word in context is the first thing that is to be presented about each subject that is discussed. Next, I believe that freedom of the Word is also to be employed in any doctrinal study.

Isaiah 29:10b - ...line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little

This is where the Holy Spirit moves to give us inspiration from various Scriptures and/or their principles from all over the Bible (and in many different translations) regarding each subject. Here a little, there a little Scriptural precept plucking is a precedent set by the Holy Spirit in the Word where He often inspired the men who wrote the New Testament to so pull and quote Scriptures from the Old Testament.

These holy men were moved to utilize all or parts of many Old Testament passages and verses (some completely out of context and/or seemingly totally unrelated) in their pastoral letters to Scripturally substantiate the things that they taught. They also did this frequently within the 4 gospel accounts of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and within the book of Acts. The original apostles truly had freedom in the Word!

Whenever I have actually experienced for myself manifestations of the truth of any of these doctrines, my personal testimonies of those happenings are employed by me here to illustrate and / or to further substantiate them. When others have experienced them and told me about their experiences, I utilize their testimonies. Either way, these testimonies all contribute immensely to the truth and hopefully they will contribute to the acceptance of each teaching.