6. How do we perceive and communicate with God?

When the Lord reminded me of how I, as a new Christian, suffered from a lack of knowledge about just how to hear or see God, I felt moved to write this teaching about communicating with the Lord. So, all of the April 2008 blog entries will be exclusively on this very large subject about how exactly we may communicate with the Lord.

Isaiah 1:18 - "Come now (today)...let us reason together." says the Lord...

Back then, I couldn't find any teacher or teachings that explained exactly how we are to converse back and forth with God. In fact, my evangelical mentors did not even believe in such a thing and they would counsel me to just make sure that everything I did was "Scriptural" and I would be in God's will. But it was obvious to me that such a thing was impossible because there are Scriptures for a matter that appear to be contradictory.

This ignorance of theirs and mine resulted in many uncertainties and doubts within my mind for a long, long time about whether or not I was actually perceiving and doing God's will in many of my affairs. I kept fearing that I might be doing wrong in so many things because I couldn't seem to find out from Him just what His will for those things really was. But the good thing about all of these concerns of mine was that they worked to humble me and prodded me to keep digging into His Word in search of my answers.

Deuteronomy 8:3 - ...He humbled me and allowed me to hunger (for knowledge of communicating with Him and learning His ways) and (then, in His time, not mine) He fed me with the hidden manna, (the portions of His Word on this subject) which I did not know nor did (any of) my (spiritual) fathers know,

that He might make me recognize (personally understand) that I do not live by bread alone, but I live by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord (found in the Biblical Scriptures and from His Holy Spirit's voice within my own mind). (from the Amplified Bible and personalized by me)

My intense hunger for the answers to my questions about God's true will for me that I could not find, turned out to actually be His will for me at that time! It was a necessary humbling experience for me before He would give me an answer.

Matthew 5:6 - "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

That hunger was used by the Lord to prod me to diligently and humbly keep on praying to Him for guidance and to continuously search all over the Scriptures to find my answers.

Jeremiah 29:13 - When you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed.

Now, after whole-heartedly seeking to find out how to communicate with God, He has personally instructed me from His Word and from events within my own life about the many ways in which we can perceive His voice and the conversational movements of His Holy Spirit within our minds. So now, after learning these methods, I have been given tremendous peace of mind about how I'm to determine His will for each of my life affairs.

John 14:27 - Peace I (the living and active Word) leave with you; My peace I (the living and active Word) give to you; not as the world gives do I (the living and active Word) give it to you.

So, do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

Hopefully, this Biblical instruction on what I have learned over the years about how to perceive the Lord and His Holy Spirit's various means of communicating with me, will shed some needed light for those of you who are also struggling with this problem. Additionally, the instruction here may be useful for those of you who do communicate with God but are not yet familiar with some of the particular means that He says in His Word that His Holy Spirit will use to communicate with us.

Hopefully, the resultant effect of this instruction will be to build up your own personal faith about how to see and hear God so that you can so do.

Matthew 5:8 - Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God!

It is compiled from much of what God's Word says about the subject of supernaturally communicating with God.

Romans 10:17 - So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word....

I now ask the reader to read the article in Wikipedia about Pentecostal and Evangelical Rhema

(this is the Greek word for utterance). This article very nicely expresses the difference between these 2 differing approaches to communicating with the Lord. My teaching here (though not Pentecostal) is about what that particular article refers to as the Pentecostal Rhema voice of God.

Before I go on, please be sure that God gives you peace of mind over what I have just taught you and over each segment of this teaching. If He doesn't, that's a sign to you to stop to ponder the teaching further until you can reach peace over it or until you can find a flaw in it. If you do find that there is a flaw in it, please be sure to comment on that flaw here so that I can improve the teaching.

Knowledge of God and His ways

In order to enjoy reliable back and forth communication with God, it stands to reason that we must first gain some knowledge of Him and the ways in which He says He will hear us and speak to us.

To begin to do that, let's first acknowledge the obvious fundamental fact that God has elected to be imperceptible to all of our outward physical senses. We can't physically see Him, hear Him, taste Him, touch Him or feel Him. Therefore it stands to reason that the only means that is left to us by which we may perceive and communicate with Him is for it to happen within our minds.

Romans 1:19 - ...that which is known about God (at any given time) is evident within....(individual people's minds)...for God...(makes)...it evident to them.

And the mind is also the place within us where, after perceiving something thru our senses, we do our pondering and believing. So this is one the place that our imperceptible God has ordained that He will communicate with us. It is in effect the Holy of Holies of our body, which is our personal temple.

Hebrews 11:6b - ... he who comes to God must (use his mind to ponder the possibility of and then reach the conclusion to) believe that He is (even though He is physically imperceptible to our senses) and that He rewards those who (mentally reach out to) seek Him. (my own amplification of this verse)

Consequently, while God remains physically imperceptible to us, He has elected to provide us with the means of learning about Him and His ways within our minds thru His written Word which is found only in the Biblical Scriptures and which we can see or hear or if blind, feel by braille.

II Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is inspired by God...

This Word about Him and His ways is something from Him that can be physically perceived by our senses and then transfered into our minds where we can think about it. He has provided His Word to us by mentally inspiring believing men over the centuries to transcribe for us what He revealed to them about Him and His ways.

Romans 15:4 - For whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written (by God thru His inspiration to His prophets) for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope (in His existence and His plans for us). (my own amplification of this verse)

He has inspired various faithful, holy men of the past to record the Words which He (in Spirit) somehow spoke to them or showed them about Him and His ways in their own life circumstances. Today, these same Words apply by faith to all people who find themselves in similar life circumstances.

II Timothy 3:16 - 17 - Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration to holy, believing men in the past) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and for conviction of sin, for correction of error and for discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action),

so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work. (the Amplified Bible)

So first and foremost, we need to fully believe that God has actually sent His Word to the prophets for us as a means by which to give us knowledge of Himself and His ways and that all of His revealed Word is true and now resides within the Biblical Scriptures.

John 17:17b - (Jesus said,) "Thy (God's) Word is truth."

Then we can move forward within our minds, from merely perceiving this Word thru our eyes or ears or fingers, into believing what it says and then establishing a firm faith in what it says about Him and His ways for our lives.

Romans 10:17 - So faith (about Him and His ways) comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word....

After that, from this baseline of Word faith (believing the Biblical record about God and His ways), we can move forward into a deeper faith which believes that today His Holy Spirit will use His Word to actually speak to each of us within our minds about our circumstances.

John 14: 26 - "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I (the living and active Word) have said to you.

In my own experience I believe that God has so spoken to me thousands of times. I feel that His Holy Spirit has done this by quickening (emphasizing - igniting - bringing to life) within my mind, passages of His many Words of Scripture. Each time He speaks anew to me within my mind, His Holy Spirit reminds me of verses that I've seen or heard before and that He wants me to then realize as being truly pertinent to a particular matter in my life.

Hebrews 4:12 - For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective (for all time) ]. (the Amplified Bible)

Accurate knowledge of God and the way that He has for each of us regarding each particular circumstance of our lives can only be achieved by listening to the voice of His Holy Spirit as He speaks to tell us the correct applications of the Biblical Scriptures for those circumstances. Deducing correct interpretations of His Word with His Holy Spirit which apply to our circumstances is absolutely necessary if we are to be able to recognize His will for the matter. Bu faith then, this can be a true communication from God placed by His Holy spirit within our minds about the matter.

II Timothy 2:15 - Be diligent to present yourself approved to God (today and later, at the judgment) as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of truth.

But, what about us instead using the many religious traditions that men nearly universally employ in their efforts to commune with God? Why must we use the Scriptures in the Bible to find out about and then communicate with God? Why not just rely upon our church traditions, especially the ceremonial rites and rituals which have been handed down to us over time?

Well, according to Jesus, religious traditions passed down amongst men as a means by which to get close to God and please Him must conform to the Bible.

Mark 7:13 - ... you are nullifying and making void and of no effect [the authority of] the Word of God through your tradition, which you [in turn] hand on...

So Jesus declared that even these, if used, must always be substantiated within the Word of God which is found in the Biblical Scriptures.

Therefore, to formulate doctrines about God we must use our minds (which are able to perceive the Words of God contained in the Biblical Scriptures thru our senses) along with His Spirit to make and then believe in them. Within our minds each of us can subjectively detect those passages that the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance (or that we first read or hear), as being quickened by God. This belief that God has energized some of His Biblical Words within our minds in order to talk to us, then becomes a means by which God can then talk to us on different issues.

John 16:12a - I (God) have still many more things to say to you... (the Amplified Bible)

Consequently, as we journey thru life, God will give believers occasional revelations of Himself and His ways, just as He did with Jesus original 12 disciples, but not too often so as to not overburden the limits of our human minds.

John 16:12b - ...but you cannot bear them now.

A very important consideration for us to also ponder about the Biblical Scriptures is that they are a collection of inspired books that have been designed by God to sometimes appear hard to understand and in some places, to even appear to be somewhat contradictory.

II Peter 3:15b - 16 - Paul, according to the wisdom given him (by God), wrote to you (and all of us today), as also in all of his letters, speaking in them of...some things (which are) hard to understand...

So it's important to emphasize that we are to work along with God's Holy Spirit's voice within our minds, to develop well thought out, correct interpretations of the Scriptures that are pertinent to each affair of our life.

John16:13 - "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all of the truth...

Correct interpretations of the Scriptures are necessary in order to get to the truths of God and His ways and to truly hear His Holy Spirit's voice for any particular matter. Then we need to take a firm mental hold (in steady faith) of that interpretation of the Scriptures that we feel He has shown us as being pertinent to that subject in our life.

Romans 14:22 - The faith (from your Spirit led interpretations of God's Word) which you have, have as your own conviction before God.

God tells us in Scripture that this kind of subjective, personal faith by each individual is very pleasing to the Lord.

Hebrews 11:6 - Without faith it is impossible to please God for he (each person) who comes to Him must (personally) believe that...He rewards them who (so) seek Him. (my own personalization of this verse)

The first reward from The Lord for our firm faith is His peace which He plants within us that then serves as evidence to us that we are in His truth, which further reinforces our faith.

Isaiah 26:3 - The steadfast of mind God will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in God.

One other point to make here is that even though we may be eternally saved from God's wrath upon us for our sins thru our faith in the correct interpretation of God's Word about Jesus Christ's work on the cross to provide us with salvation, each of us will still stand before Jesus at the judgment to give an account of all of the rest of our beliefs. This is the place where God will reward us for those Biblical interpretations that He gave us time and opportunity to work out with His Holy Spirit's voicings. It is also the place where we will suffer eternal loss for those doctrines that we wouldn't work with Him to correctly formulate!

I Corinthians 3:15 - For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). But if anyone builds upon the Foundation, whether it be with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,the work of each [one] will become [plainly, openly] known (shown for what it is); for the day [of Christ] will disclose and declare it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test and critically appraise the character and worth of the work each person has done.

If the work which any person has built on this Foundation [any product of his efforts whatever] survives [this test], he will get his reward. But if any person's work is burned up [under the test], he will suffer the loss [of it all, losing his reward], though he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has passed] through fire. (the Amplified Bible)

This passage says it all regarding how eternally important our efforts should be to us to work carefully with God's Holy Spirit to personally formulate our own knowledge of Him and His ways for each affair of our lives!

By our correctly formulated doctrine for each matter, we can truly hear His voice when His Holy Spirit energizes His Word within our minds about it.

Reaching out by faith to sense His presence.

To perceive the presence of God near us, actually talking to us! Wouldn't that be marvelous! What a wonderful communion that would be! Well, for that to occur we need to find a way to somehow get into His presence so that we can see and hear Him.

From my own experience, the emotional sense of truly being in His presence has rarely been granted to me. And I have never heard His voice audibly as some Christians say that they've heard it. But what has always been given to me and what will always be given to any believer who has the faith for it, is the certainty that when we mentally draw near to God, He will spiritually draw near to us even though we may not in any way sense Him doing it!

James 4:8 - Draw near to God and - HE WILL DRAW NEAR TO YOU!

The Lord promises above to respond to our faithful mental outreach to Him by drawing near to us and this is how we may at any time enter right into His presence! But we must have firm, unswerving faith that this will happen, in order for it to actually occur for us. Therefore, even though He doesn't give us any physical sensation or perception of His nearness, if we draw near to Him in firm mental faith, He promises us that he will not fail to draw very near to us and stay with us!

Hebrews 13:5b - ...(God says) I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake you nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] (the Amplified Bible)

The question is, is our faith strong and unswerving enough to believe that when we draw near to Him within our minds, He will actually be there near to us, no matter what? What about in those tough times when we feel utterly forsaken by Him? Will we still believe that when we mentally draw near to Him, that He is instantly within our proximity, even though He remains physically imperceptible? This is a personal matter for each individual Christian to deal with, but it must be dealt with correctly in order to be near to God.

None of us will ever be able to reliably communicate with God until we firmly mentally but blindly physically - sit, stand and / or walk, trusting that He always draws near to us whenever we draw near to Him, no matter what! Then, once we are truly so positioned in our mind, He will be reliable to reward us with a second communication from Him (after His Word which He energizes within our minds) which is also mentally perceptible!

Isaiah 26:3 - The steadfast of mind God will keep in PERFECT PEACE because he trusts in God.

That 2nd Communication with Him is the Peace of Christ.

Strong, unswerving mental peace is the second mentally perceptible communication from God which His Holy spirit will put into our minds, once we take up a firm mental faith in any truth that He gives us. It is a mental sense that God will instill within us about our correct faith positions on the various affairs of our lives!

Colossians 3:15 - And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality - All QUESTIONS THAT ARISE IN YOUR MINDS...(Amplified Bible)

Behind the Holy spirit's ignition of the Word within our minds, this is another mentally perceptible means that He uses by which to communicate His true will to us for any particular matter!

When we are able to reach and keep mental peace about a matter, then that ongoing peace is our proof, our evidence that He has personally spoken to us, telling us that we are centered in His grace and will for that particular matter.

As long as this peace of His is present within our minds over our faith position on any given matter, that peace decides and settles with finality the fact that we are positioned within His will for that matter! In this manner we can believe that He has truly spoken to us about any given matter. But this communication of peace too must be accepted by believing that it has truly come from God and then by taking a firm mental faith position in that belief!So again.....

Isaiah 26:3 - The steadfast of mind God will keep in perfect peace because he trusts in God.

To better grasp this concept of being spoken to by God when we find that we have peace over a matter, we need to look upon the turmoils of our lives as being similar to the storms surrounding the eye of a hurricane. The small area covered by a hurricane's centrally located but moving eye becomes totally peaceful, while the much larger area covered by the storms surrounding it, is extremely and violently tumultuous. Ship's captains caught at sea within a hurricane's gales will try to pull away from them, but if they can't, then they will try to navigate into the storm's eye in order to find peaceful respite from its destructive power.

The same is true for Christians who are attempting to communicate with God. When we seek to find a peaceful mental respite from Him from the turmoil of any uncertainty within our life, we need to navigate our minds to discover the correct Biblical faith haven that His Spirit is trying to take us into for that particular problem. This Biblically correct mental faith position will bring forth an immediate movement of God which will give our minds the peace of Christ about it and that will calm us.

Then later, whenever we are stirred by Satan to again mentally reconsider that problem and then we remember our Biblically correct faith position for it, Christ's peace will again enter and settle our minds. No matter how events swirl around that particular difficulty in our life, as long as we hold onto that correct faith position on the issue, His peace will descend within our minds to give us respite and calm.

John 13:17 - If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them!

But His peace within our minds will not occur if our faith position is wrong, no matter how strongly we hold it, because God's Holy Spirit will not give us Christ's peace about that falsehood.

So, let's sum up our discussion so far. Even though God is physically imperceptible to us, we are able to perceive His Scriptural writings in the Bible about Him and His ways thru our eyes and ears (or thru our fingers with braille). Sensory nerves then transfer God's Words through these physically means into our brains wherein we can ponder them with God in order to reach a correct interpretation of them for a particular matter. Then, also within our minds, we can go on to reach a full and firm belief in a particular correct interpretation and establish a strong mental faith position in it. In so doing, Christ rewards us with His peace within our minds about that matter. This peace is a mentally perceptible proof to us that the Lord has truly spoken to us about that matter.

Romans 8:6b - to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Consequently, as we discuss all of the other ways that our invisible God has said in His Word that He has used to communicate with men, peace is the underlying condition that we will always seek to find present in our own minds to prove to us that we have truly received a communication from His Holy Spirit and not from some deceptive devil.

Thank you.


Please go on to entry #7 for April 2008 to continue with the next segment of this extended teaching about communicating with God.

5. What are the powers given by God to His apostles and prophets today?

The subject of apostolic and prophetic powers is very important because there are so many supernatural things that God says in His Word that He wants to do for His Christians thru these 2 high church offices. However, in His great mercy towards those Christians who don't believe in these offices for today, God might still elect to send any of His supernatural powers thru evangelists, healers, miracle workers, teachers and pastors in whose ministry they do believe so that they won't miss out entirely on these blessings. He might also send them thru church helpers or administrators or thru any faithful Christian at all for that matter for the same reason.

But God seems to have established in the Scriptures that He will make all of His supernatural powers accessible first thru the faith of His appointed apostles and prophets. He seems to have ordained this pecking order for the distribution of His supernatural powers in order to certify His supernatural appointment of particular men to these 2 offices.

But before we embark on this discussion of their powers let's just assume that the apostles and prophets spoken of here are truly from God. Let's not take up a discussion about false prophets here in order to not confuse the issue and for the sake of brevity. The subject of dealing with false apostles and false prophets has already been discussed in March 2008's 1st and 2nd blog entries.


1. The greatest and most wonderful power that Jesus gives to His believers is that which comes forth as they (by the movement of the Holy Spirit) preach the gospel.

Romans 1:16 - ...for it (the gospel) is the power of God for salvation...

The magnificent, Holy Spirit given conviction power which will lead sinners who hear the gospel into repentance and salvation, can accompany any believer's preaching of it so this power is not put thru God's apostles only,.But it is the most important power that God does put thru them and they are constrained to bring it forth.

I Corinthians 9:16 - For if I (the apostle) preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel for...I have a stewardship (from God) entrusted to me!

The dictionary tells us that the word apostle means one who is sent. Therefore, any true apostle of God is by definition, one who is supernaturally sent to preach the gospel to various individuals whom God has chosen.

Romans 10:14b -15 - How will they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how will they hear (about Him) without a preacher? (and) how will they preach unless they are sent (by God)?

Once in these people's presence, the apostle's first and foremost supernatural power will come forth mightily upon them when he preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ to save them from God's righteous wrath upon their sin.

Acts 4:33 - And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all!

During the preaching of the gospel, God the Father will give people a supernatural revelation (via His Holy Spirit) directly into the spirit of their minds that Jesus Christ is His unique, only begotten Son.

Matthew 16:15 - 18 (Jesus) said to (His disciples), "But who do you say that I am?"

...Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!"

...And Jesus said unto him, "Blessed are you...because......flesh and blood did not reveal this to you...

...but MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN (REVEALED IT TO YOU)!

(Kenneth Wuest Expanded New Testament Translation with my comments added)

When sinners believe in their hearts the revelation that the Lord Jesus Christ is God's unique, only begotten Son and that as such, He is the only One qualified by God to save them from eternal death and damnation at God's holy, righteously wrathful hands, they are saved from it and born-again in their spirits.

John 3:6 - That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.

So, with salvation from God's wrath being the most important thing that can happen to anyone, the preaching of the gospel is the first and foremost power that He gives to His apostles (or any believer for that matter).

I Corinthians 4:20 - For the kingdom of heaven does not consist in (mere) words but in power!



2. God uniquely empowers His apostles to form new churches and to use their supernatural apostolic authority to protect those churches (and also any other existing churches whose members desire to place themselves under their ministry).

The apostle is to gather and bring newly born-again-of-the-Holy-Spirit, infant believers into their new family of God within either a new or an existing Scripturally structured church fellowship. This is the God ordained family within which for these new believers to continue to be fathered by Holy Spirit thru the apostle, so as to grow up in all aspects in the Lord.

I Corinthians 4:15b - ...For in Christ Jesus, I (the apostolic preacher) became your (spiritual) father through the gospel.

Within these church fellowships, these new believers are to be taught the Word of God and about the things of God in order to be built up in Christ. Here their fathering apostles are to exercise all of their unique apostolic supernatural powers to train them (and everyone else within the fellowship) in all of the things of God.

Ephesians 4:11- 12a - ...He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of service...

As the individual believers grow within a Scripturally structured church under the auspices of apostles and all of the other church officers, they will gain more and more knowledge and grace and strength in their faith. Then eventually, they will mature into having Holy Spirit imbued power of their own by which to promote God's heavenly kingdom among men.

Zechariah 4:6b - Not by might nor by power but by my Holy Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts!

Now, it stands to reason that the most spiritually knowledgeable, wisest and most powerful church groups will grow their members in such a way as to become fully equipped to wage very effective spiritual warfare against Satan's kingdom. The best equipped groups will be those church fellowships that have the purest beliefs, as is suggested in the principle of the following verse...

James 3:17 - The wisdom from above (from God) is FIRST - PURE...

Therefore these wise, spiritually powerful churches of God will garrison their brethren who are in various stages of growth and maturity under the pure, Scripturally sound, ministerial structure listed in the Scripture below

I Corinthians 12:28 - 31 - And God has appointed in the church - FIRST APOSTLES, SECOND PROPHETS, THIRD TEACHERS, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.......but earnestly desire the greater gifts.

Any church group today that is fellowshipping outside of the purity of this church structure in this pecking order, inherently forfeits God's supernaturally offered, top-level spiritual gifts! He has ordained them to come forth thru each church officer's faith and they are absolutely necessary in order to fully defeat all of Satan's foils against their members.

Ephesians 6:11 - Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil!

Unfortunately, most Christian denominations do not put on the full spiritual armor of God because, along with many other supernatural things described in the Scriptures, they do not believe in the validity of the first 2 church offices of apostles and prophets for today. Therefore, because of their own and their spiritual fathers' traditional unbelief, they do not and have not encouraged nor allowed apostles and prophets to operate within their churches.

Matthew 15:6b - ...you make the word of God of no effect because of your traditions.

Consequently, their impurity of faith (in denying the validity of these first 2 church offices for today), causes them to be without the full power needed for completely effective spiritual warfare today. Total spiritual power over Satan's forces requires all of the glorious, supernatural gifts that God wants to send to His Christians. And His very most important gifts He will normally only send forth thru these first 2 denied church offices of apostles and prophets.

Only recognized, appreciated and properly functioning apostles and prophets today can bring forth the special supernatural gifts and unique powers necessary to fully protect and guide individuals within church groups. They are also necessary to lead their members into total victory over all of Satan's activities within their bailiwick. Churches without the first 2 God-ordained ministries of apostles and prophets pierce themselves with many unnecessary pangs, since they wander from faith in these ministries for today.

I Timothy 6:10b - for some... have wandered away from the faith (in the truth of some Scriptures), (and have) pierced themselves with many a pang (for so doing). (the principle of this verse)

As a result, they don't have the God-given, top-drawer powers necessary within their churches to fully empower their brethren's overall efforts to defeat Satan's war machine. So they don't get enlightening and comforting personal prophecies from God, encouraging miraculous healings, deliverances from demons and the problems that they maliciously propagate, miraculous events and signs or wonders. All of the apostolic and prophetic powers being active within a church, along with those of the other officers in the church, help to strengthen all of their brethren's faith and fulfill their growth into mature Christians.

Ephesians 4:11 - 13 - And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

So, those without these powers are forced to settle for merely the powers of teachers and evangelists, administrators and helpers by which to battle Satan and grow in the Lord. Thus, they have no apostolic authority protecting them from Satanic personal attacks within their church ranks such as misguided brethren who rail against their teacher-pastors. Neither will they have any prophets by which for God to warn and guide and comfort each of their members in their individual lives. And they will not have all of the miracles, healings and signs and wonders that God wishes to give them thru the apostles and prophets to better their lives.

These deficiencies utterly hamstring such churches' brethren from ever maturing enough to win many of the major battles against Satan's forces. This is one reason why so many Christians feel so frustratingly powerless in their church homes.

The upshot of all of this is that only the apostles' God-given powers to establish correctly structured churches (according to the Scriptures) and to protect and nurture their brethren, will lead to the development over time of truly mature, spiritually powerful members. These are the needed brethren who can successfully fight off all of Satan's evil attacks while they effectively promote God's kingdom to more and more people!


3. The third power which apostles are given (which is also the first power that prophets are given) is the power to bring forth prophecies from God thru the Holy Spirit to edify, influence, comfort, caution and / or direct the various believers in their churches.

Christians who believe in apostles and prophets as being valid for today, experience and benefit from many God-given prophecies.

I Corinthians 14:1 - 3 - ...desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy...(for) the one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation.

Of course Christians who believe in apostles and prophets all love to receive every positive prophecy that God will send to them thru either of these offices. So, what else needs to be said about positive prophecies? If one believes in their validity, one will easily accept, believe and benefit from them.

But most Christians hate to get negative prophecies (at least they hate them when they first hear them), because of their inherently sinful nature which is always at work within them to defy God. Apostles and prophets are really challenged to love the brethren to whom they are called upon by God to bring a negative message. Why? Because most recipients of negative messages do not usually wish to hear them and consequently will often cop an attitude towards the apostle or prophet giving it.

However, mature recipients of negative prophecies will immediately do internal battle within themselves and with Satan to humble and soften themselves so as to be able to respond well to the truths coming forth in a negative prophetic message. But recipients who stubbornly resist any negative message sent to them from God, automatically fall from grace and thus into Satan's power, becoming demonically hardened. Eventually, in one way or another, this hardening will be evilly expressed to the apostle or the prophet and that then becomes a personally painful experience for them.

An evil reaction to a negative message can result in the prophesier becoming bitter and thus lose his or her brotherly love for that message's resister. Prophesiers may also get bitter towards and lose their love for any other brethren who might join up with the resister.

Hebrew 12:15 - See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, that no root of bitterness, springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.

Negative messages from God are therefore given as a test both for the recipient and for the prophesier and for those who do or don't side with a resister.


4. Apostolic and prophetic authority to bind Satan and loose blessings.

God provides those appointed to these 2 callings with great power to bind all evil Satanic forces that they are gifted by the Holy Spirit to perceive.

Luke 9:1 - And He called...(His apostles)...and gave them power and authority over all the demons...!

They are also empowered by God to loose offsetting blessings that they perceive will be forthcoming from God, upon individual members of their church fellowship. They do both binding and loosing by revelation from by God of the heavenly decrees for these bindings and loosings upon the earth.

Matthew 16:19 - ...(Jesus said to the first apostles) ...whatsoever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven and whatsoever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

Whenever any brethren willingly place themselves under the apostolic and prophetic authorities within a church fellowship, they will automatically obtain God's great protection from evil for themselves thru their offices, for their church group and for those who are under their own spiritual authority.

For much further information on this subject, the reader might like to view this great 1 hour teaching on apostolic and prophetic authority.


5. Apostolic and prophetic healings and deliverance from demons.

God can do supernatural healings thru a variety of means such as thru the anointing of the sick with oil and the laying of hands upon the sick by church elders or by any of the brethren when the healing is being faithfully requested. Faithful prayers and fastings can also move God to send healings and deliverances.

Mark 9:29 - (Jesus explained that)...This kind (of demon) cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting

But occasionally, especially when God wants to substantiate one of His apostles or prophets, the only way the desired supernatural healing will come forth (after all else may have been tried), is by that apostle or prophet calling for it under his authority from Jesus!

The same can be true of some deliverances from demonic possession. Demons are sometimes given authority by God to occupy someone until an apostle or prophet demands that the demon come out of that person and in the process uses an invocation of their apostolic or prophetic authority vested in them by the Lord Jesus Christ. In this kind of possession the demon is authorized by Jesus to stay in its target person even if the name of Jesus is invoked by a non-apostle or a non-prophet! Only by the apostle or prophet himself invoking both the name of Jesus and the apostolic or prophetic authority vested in him, will that demon depart! This is another means that the Lord uses to elicit respect from members of the flock for a particular apostle or prophet.

6. Bringing forth Miracles

Any Christian that Jesus selects and empowers can bring forth miracles if that Christian has the faith for them. But again, in some circumstances Jesus may decide that a particular desired miracle will not be allowed to occur unless a person's faith plus the authority of an apostle or a prophet is invoked by that apostle or prophet in the request to God for the miracle. This spiritual mechanism again is what is sometimes used by the Lord to substantiate that apostle or that prophet to those to whom he is ministering.

Sometimes apostles are given power which can attach healings to articles of clothing like handkerchiefs or aprons or anything else which can be taken to the sick.

Acts 19:11 - 12 - God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of...(the apostle)...so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried to the sick and the diseases left them.

The following is a testimony of this kind of a miraculous healing...

I ran into a woman one day who told me that her mother was very sick and that she was worried that she was about to die! Then she started crying and my heart went out to her. She said that she was a Catholic believer and that she was looking to find a healing priest to heal her mother but had not been able to find one. God had done a number of healings thru my prayers as an apostle and as she spoke I felt moved to tell her that I had a healing priest friend (I was thinking of Jesus but I didn't tell her that) and that he had given me a handkerchief which he had blessed.

Then I pulled out my brand new hanky and I told her that he had told me to keep it on me and give it to anyone whom I might encounter who might be seriously sick. So she looked at me rather funny-like and said, "Really?" in a not-so-sure-but-desperate-to-try-anything tone of voice. To this I responded by telling her that I didn't really know if it would heal her mother or not but it might at least be worth a try because it wouldn't hurt anything to do so. She thought about it for a moment and then agreed to give it a try. So she took the hanky and left.

About a week later I ran into her again and she came right up to me and thanked me profusely for the handkerchief because she said that right after she laid it on her mother's blankets, she began to feel better immediately! And she said that now her mother was up and about and cooking again! Then she asked me how she might find that priest to thank him? So I told her to just thank Jesus because He was the source of the healing and that my friend the priest wanted to remain anonymous. She accepted that excuse and went off, still rejoicing.

Even an apostle's shadow can bring forth healings.

Acts 5:15 - 16 - ...they even carried the sick out...so that when...(the apostle)...came by, at least his shadow might fall on any one of them...and they were all being healed!

So, as the Scriptures depict, apostles and prophets are vested with very unique powers and authority to do great things by God! This is just one of the reasons that they are so necessary today to every church group!

Thank you and may God richly bless you.

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4. What are the functions & duties of apostles today?

Luke 12:48c - Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities! (The Message Bible)

There are obviously many duties that accompany the high spiritual office gift of apostleship. Yet, no Scriptural list of just what those duties are has been given. So in order to compile one, all of the Scriptures about the functions and activities of the Biblical apostles need to be consulted.

II Timothy 3:16 -17 - All Scripture is inspired of God and is profitable for teaching...for training in righteousness so that the man of God may be...equipped for every good work (including the duties of apostleship).

Therefore, the list being set forth here of an apostle's many duties comes from all of the pertinent Scriptures which I have so far found which describe how the first apostles functioned. To best bring forth this teaching, these Scriptures have been combined with my own many personal experiences as an apostle.

Romans 15:18 - For [of course] I will not venture (presume) to speak...of any work except what Christ has actually done through me [as an instrument in His hands]...

Please review all of this information carefully for yourselves to see if the Holy Spirit confirms its correctness to you.

Acts 7:11 - ...(being) noble-minded...they received the Word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures (for themselves)... to see whether these things were so.

If you find errors, inconsistencies, missed functionings or any distortions of Scripture within my list, please feel free to constructively comment below or send me an e-mail at anonymousapostle@gmail.com, so that it may be corrected.

Ministering unto the Lord

To start, it seems to be the case that the foremost duty of apostles is for them to at first minister exclusively unto the Lord Himself until He is ready to send them out into service with apostolic powers. This is shown when Jesus told his apostles after He was resurrected that they were to stay in Jerusalem and wait there until they were clothed with apostolic powers by the Holy Spirit.

Luke 24:49b - (Jesus said)..."You (speaking to his apostles) are to stay in the city (Jerusalem) until you are clothed with power from on high."

Also, Paul and Barnabas prayed and fasted and ministered unto the Lord before they were sent out by the Holy Spirit with all of their great apostolic powers.

Acts 13:2 - While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

So, it seems that apostles are to first minister unto the Lord before they will be qualified and empowered by Him to go out and minister unto men for Him.

Ministering to people

Once apostles have been chosen, prepared and then sent out into their ministry by God unto those whom He has selected, it appears that their most important duty is to proclaim the Word of God from the Bible.

Acts 13:4 -5 - So, being sent by the Holy Spirit they went...and began to proclaim the Word of God...

When they go forth to so preach God's Word after His empowerment of them, the Lord then works with them supernaturally. He does this by confirming their preaching with substantiating signs and wonders which are designed by Him to convince the people to whom his apostle is sent that he has truly sent to them by God.

Mark 16:20 - And they (the apostles) went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the Word by the signs that followed.

Apostles will be given many wondrous powers by the Holy Spirit, especially those which He knows will be needed as time goes by to further confirm their apostolic ministries.

II Corinthians 12:12 - The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.

So, after first ministering unto the Lord. the apostles' next major duty seems to be to preach the Word of God, especially the word of the gospel, to anyone to whom they are sent.

I Corinthians 9:16 - For if I (the apostle) preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel for...I have a stewardship (from God) entrusted to me!

As people truly receive and believe their preaching of the gospel, an apostle's next duty seems to be to quickly water-baptize them in order to declare to all present, their immediate renunciation of sin and their cleansing from it by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 16:33 - ...immediately(!) he (a brand new believer) was baptized (by an apostle)...

The apostle Paul, after being blinded by the Lord and not eating for 3 days, had his sight restored to him. Immediately Jesus had him baptized, even before he ate anything!

Acts 9:9, 17 -19 - And he was 3 days without sight, and neither ate nor drank...So Ananias...entered the house (where he was staying) and after laying his hands on him said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus...has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." And immediately...he regained his sight and he got up and was baptized, and (after that) he took food and was strengthened.

After a 3 day fast and considering the ravenous hunger that Paul must have had, being first baptized before eating illustrates just how important to God it seems to be for his newly born-again believers to be immediately baptized! Urgency of baptism is later recounted when Paul quotes Ananias comment to him during this healing event...

Acts 22:16 - "Now (that you are healed from blindness) why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name."

The immediate baptismal duty of even the evangelist is illustrated in the Biblical account of the believing response of an Ethiopian eunuch to Phillip's preaching to him of the gospel.

Acts 8:36 - 39 - ...they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?"...and...(Phillip) baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Phillip away and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went rejoicing on his way.

Notice that God did not finish ministering the gospel to this eunuch thru Phillip until, at just the right moment, they just happened (!?!) to find a miraculous water supply right there in the dry, arid desert by which for Phillip to immediately baptize him. Then, once the baptism was finished, the Lord instantly removed Phillip from ministering to him any further. (As an aside, this testimony builds a case that we are not always called to minister discipleship to a newly saved person.)

Another duty of apostles seems to be for them to lay hands upon and call for the the Holy Spirit to fall upon any brethren who, after being baptized, have not yet perceived His power as being manifested in some way, upon or within them.

Acts 8:15 -17 - (the apostles) came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon them; they had simply been baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus.

Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.

So gospel preaching immediately followed by water baptism for converts are 2 major duties of all apostles everywhere. They should also lay hands on them to bring forth the spiritual baptism upon them of the power of God's Holy Spirit.

Establishing Churches

Apostles also seem to be duty bound to establish local fellowships of and for believing brethren or they are to place them into an existing church. Then, if they minister within that church, they appear to be duty bound to carry on the ministry of God's Word to build up their faith.

Acts 16:5 - So, (by the presence and preaching of the Word of God from the apostles) the churches were being strengthened in the faith...

Apostles seem to be duty bound to exercise all of the gifts of which the Holy Spirit empowers them, bringing forth supernatural signs and wonders, miracles and healings which will help their brethren to perceive and believe that God is truly present among them.

Acts 22:42 - Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place thru the apostles.

Apostles (and the church's prophets) seem to also be duty bound by God to bring forth pertinent prophecies from God to guide that particular assembly's brethren.

I Corinthians 14:3 - ...one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation.

As well as bringing forth prophesies, apostles should also be giving teachings and describing their revelations from God to their brethren in order to increase their knowledge of the Lord.

I Corinthians 14:6b - ...what will I (the apostle) profit you unless I speak to you either by way of revelation or of knowledge or of prophesy.

As apostles form churches, they seem to have the duty to initially pastor their brethren and give them various kinds of helps while also conducting any needed administrations. But in so doing, they are not to neglect their ministry of prayer and the Word of God.

Acts 6:2b - 4 - ..."It is not desirable for us to neglect the Word of God in order to serve tables. Therefore brethren, select from among you...men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.

But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word."

As time goes by, founding apostles seem to have the duty of confirming newly God-appointed junior apostles, prophets and teachers in these groups as God raises them up. They seem to also have the duty of selecting elders and deacons to pastor their brethren and to continue to teach them the Word of God.

Acts 14:23 - When they had appointed elders for them in every church (in various cities), having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord (who is the Word!)...

It seems to be an apostle's duty to teach the brethren over whom God has established their authority, to conduct their church worship meetings in an orderly, Holy Spirit led fashion according to I Corinthians 10:15 thru 14:40. In these meetings, worshiping brethren can speak forth making requests of God and giving their revelations, teachings and prophecies. They can also pray and sing hymns in their native language and also speak and sing in tongues with interpretations.

I Corinthians 14:25b - ...When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all be done for (mutual) edification.

Apostles should encourage Bible study in a fellowship and they should also to teach the brethren how to exercise and control all of their God-given supernatural gifts within the privacy of the home fellowship.

I Corinthians 14:40 - ...all things (taking place in a fellowship meeting) must be done properly and in an orderly fashion.

Apostles seem to also be have authority from God to establish their protective and teaching authority over any existing fellowships, to which they might be invited to do so.

Conclusion

As God's Holy Spirit moves thru the apostle's ministry, brethren to whom they are sent will eventually be raised up as new apostles and prophets, evangelists and teachers, healers and miracle workers, pastors and elders to nurture and shepherd and perpetuate each church of the brethren.

I Corinthians 12:4 - 11 - Now there are distinctive varieties and distributions of endowments (gifts, extraordinary powers distinguishing certain Christians, due to the power of divine grace operating in their souls by the Holy Spirit) and they vary, but the [Holy] Spirit remains the same.

And there are distinctive varieties of service and ministration, but it is the same Lord [Who is served].

And there are distinctive varieties of operation [of working to accomplish things], but it is the same God Who inspires and energizes them all in all.

But to each one is given the manifestation of the [Holy] Spirit [the evidence, the spiritual illumination of the Spirit] for good and profit.

To one is given in and through the [Holy] Spirit [the power to speak] a message of wisdom, and to another [the power to express] a word of knowledge and understanding according to the same [Holy] Spirit;

To another wonder-working] faith by the same [Holy] Spirit, to another the extraordinary powers of healing by the one Spirit;

To another the working of miracles, to another prophetic insight (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose); to another the ability to discern and distinguish between [the utterances of true] spirits [and false ones], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, to another the ability to interpret [such] tongues.

All these [gifts, achievements, abilities] are inspired and brought to pass by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, Who apportions to each person individually [exactly] as He chooses.

The apostle will be given the ability from God to discern who these gifted brethren are and what gifts they've been given. Apostles then seem to be duty bound to encourage each of them in their gifts and also to encourage the flock to acknowledge them as being so gifted. In time the apostle can train the new apostles within a fellowship to remain with it to protect and guide it if he is called to permanently leave it or to go out from it for a time to minister to others at the Lord's leading.

Matthew 18:12 - "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?

There are some excellent further teachings on the authority and the role of apostles amongst the brethren today. They can be found at Peace Apostolic Ministries, a website that I highly recommend. It has been established by a senior apostle whom I believe to now be an apostolic father from God, even though God has not yet let me meet him personally!

So, just as all Christians regard Biblical apostles and just as you regard me and I regard you, he and I have not yet met and we may never meet until we get to glory! But having reviewed his teachings within his website, I have recognized the grace which has been given to him by God to teach me personally much about the fatherly love, authority, power and functioning of apostleship within the church and therefore to apostolically father my own ministry.

This elder apostle has a great grasp of this entire subject which (it is obvious to me) God has given him over his many years of apostolic ministry. So recognizing his seniority as it was revealed to me by God thru his teachings, I felt led by God to place myself under his apostolic fathering authority and his teaching ministry. I believe that God revealed to me that this is now necessary in order to protect the flock that I lead and myself from evils which, in my prior ignorance of this man's particular apostolic teachings, God Himself protected us.

You the reader, may also reach that same conclusion about his ministry as I have after your own review of everything on his website.

Thank you and may God richly bless you.