Apostolic Blogging
December 16, 2007 by echoinghim
Filed under Prophetic Messengers
A while back, I read a series by Shawn Blanc about Aposotlic Blogging, where he was challenging writers of the blogging world to recognize that they have a voice and to use their blog as a platform for proclaiming the message that God had given them. This started me on a journey of asking myself the question, “Do I have something of value worth saying?”
At the same time, ever since I began to seek to write with purpose and ask God what message He would have me proclaim, I have had the constant reminder of what Shawn mentioned in a post about the necessity for a life of encounter with God in order to have an apostolic blog.
…you have to fight for that secret place with God. You have to fight for time with God. Time in the Word. Time in Prayer. This is your only hope for so much more than just a good weblog. You have to live a life of encounter.
This has really challenged me as a writer and a blogger because if I truly desire to be a prophetic messenger through the medium of the Internet, then I cannot rely on clever words and posts while having a shallow relationship with God and no depth in the Word. This has propelled me to seek God in a new way, to seek after His heart and find out what He is saying and what He is doing. Over the last couple weeks, He has been speaking to me on several different topics as I’ve been studying and praying, yet I’ve been reluctant to write about any of it yet. I want to allow Him to place a burning within me and I want to be able to write with authority that can only come from long hours of meditation and communion with Him. Allow me to quote Shawn once more…
Call me logical, but you can’t say something without first having something to say. And if you really want to touch people then you have to have more than just words. You need a reality. You need sincerity and anointing. You need a genuine encounter with God…Remember, intimacy with God comes above everything else. If you have a burden to use your site to touch deeper things in God, then you need to have an even higher vision for your own heart.
So while I feel the itch to write and it sort of bugs me to go for longer periods without posting, these words ring true with me – intimacy with Him must come first. I’ve been enjoying the revelation He’s been touching my heart with more than ever and I truly hope it will be worth the wait. I desire His anointing to be a messenger in this age, whether it’s through blogging, through singing at our house of prayer, or through coffee with a friend – I want to be a voice that is more than a “clanging gong” and actually has substance that comes from time spent in the secret place.
Enjoyable post but take issue with any writings being “Apostolic” in nature. Why? Because, in the biblical sense, apostleship requires:
1. An earthly encounter with the Jesus Christ and His teachings as a follower BEFORE his ascension…
2. Be an eye witness to his earthly ministry, death and resurrection…
3. Must have been instructed in His divine revelation (see Rev. 19:10) directly.
Being inspired by the Holy Spirit to confirm that which was already taught by the prophets, teachers and apostles is “logical”; moreso, than being apostolic – as if we are being enlightened by new revelation other than that which has already been preached!
Am enjoying the read…!
Hi William. Thanks for your comment! I agree that the word and title of “Apostle” can be thrown around too loosely and without true understanding of its full meaning. There are those who have called others or themselves an apostle, when the merit for that title has not been justly earned. I would have to agree that my blog and perhaps most blogs are devoid of apostolic power and anointing and I cannot claim to have it in my writing, though I still desire it. For this is where I probably disagree with your observation about what the Bible says regarding apostleship.
1. Paul considered himself an apostle (Romans 1:1-6), even though his encounter with Jesus was AFTER his ascension into heaven.
2. While Paul was probably an eye witness to aspects of Jesus’ earthly ministry, he was definitely not a follower or student of his teachings during that time, but rather was instructed by direct divine revelation (as you mentioned) from Jesus (Galatians 1:12) after the fact.
3. What is directly mentioned as marking an apostle are signs, wonders & miracles (2 Cor. 12:12) – this is where we often fall short of the ability to call something “apostolic”, yet this is what I primarily am referring to when I desire for my blog to be apostolic – meaning that its message carries a power on it that supercedes mere human wisdom (1 Cor. 2:4-5).
4. Lastly, I believe Jesus gave the gifts of apostle, prophet, preacher, evangelist and teacher to His church for more than just the early church, since it implies he gave these gifts AFTER his ascension and for the purpose of preparing His people and bringing His church into maturity and the fullness of Christ. (Eph. 4:7-13)
If nobody could enter into apostleship in our current day, I believe we would be sorrily missing out on a gift of Christ that He desires for His church to have, to help us grow in unity with each other and with Himself. We also NEED people to walk in apostlic power, to be the extensions and manifestations of His power on the earth today. I sincerely hope there will be those who have those divine encounters with Jesus like Paul had, who will be instructed by Jesus Himself and who will operate in signs, wonders & miracles and be powerful messengers of the gospel.
I hope that brings clarity to my meaning and I’m glad you’re enjoying the read here!
Blessings,
Jacquie
Actually, the role of “apostle” as given by the Holy Spirit was, as you rightly stated, accompanied by signs and wonders.
As far as chronological application of apostleship goes, it is true that Paul was given the call of apostleship AFTER Christ ascension but, was already schooled in scripture BEFORE Christ ascension.
The problem then, does not lie in one being justifiably called an “Apostle” after the ascension of Christ (or before) – but, by what authority is that calling to be used for and by what power does one like Paul speak.
Before Paul’s conversion – he spoke the scripture with authority but lacked knowledge because he himself was not born of the Spirit.
After his conversion to Christ, his eyes were open to understanding what he had already been taught but now, was granted authority as an Apostle of God to proclaim He and His coming kingdom… much like an evangelist or missionary proclaims the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ to an unbelieving world with that same granted authority by the Spirit.
The problem then, is the self-proclamation of those who say they preach with the authority of God as “apostles” and continually receive “new” revelation from God too.
God, through Paul, reminds the church that we have already been given all the revelation in the last days we need; and it has come first, through the teachings of the prophets and teachers of old (Pre-Christ) but, in these last day, by Jesus Christ Himself!
Paul then warns the church NOT to listen to anyone who claims, with authority, a personal revelation as coming directly from God as being the preaching of another Jesus and another gospel.
Thank you for the dialog! Keep seeking Him as we grow in His grace!
Hi William,
You may notice I edited your comment to remove the list of names you suggested as being people who falsely claim to preach with apostolic authority and who receive “new” revelation from God. I am not interested in judging or accusing any of these people, since I cannot testify to the accuracy or truth of their preaching.
While I absolutely agree that we must be on the alert to any false prophets or messengers who would preach another Jesus or another gospel, I don’t believe that it is wrong to receive new revelation on the existing teachings we have from the Bible. If anything someone preaches contradicts or does not line up with the Word, we definitely have the right to throw it out. But, Paul also encourages us to pray that the Holy Spirit would give us revelation about Jesus (Eph. 1:17-19) and it is my prayer that all believers would receive new revelation about who He is and have greater understanding and insight into His Word. Perhaps this is not the type of revelation you refer to, but I pray all the time that God will give me personal revelation straight from His heart! Yet, every time I do feel Him speak to me in such a personal way, it is always my responsibility to ensure it lines up with the current revelation we already have in the Bible.
Dialogue about these topics is always good and I will continue to seek Him, as you obviously are also!