This is another wonderful opportunity to reveal the ministry of
the Apostle by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Last time we looked at the
basics of who an apostle really is and discovered that the word Apostle or
"apostello" means one who
is sent to a specific location to fulfill a specific assignment by a higher
authority. This means that an apostle is one sent forth by God Himself with the
full backing of the Spirit of God to fulfill a heavenly assignment on the
earth.
One of the
primary functions of the Apostolic office is to lay the foundation for other
ministries to build upon. Apostle Paul brings this out so clearly, "According to the grace of God which
is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I HAVE LAID THE FOUNDATION, and
another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth
thereupon" (1Co 3:10). Apostle Paul points out that he laid the
foundation for the church at Corinth and in many other churches. The reason why
the churches planted by the Apostle Paul are different from the ones we see
today is because the foundations are different. Not anyone can plan for and lay
a foundation. A layman who knows nothing about buildings cannot adequately
design a stable foundation. A house is only as good as it's foundation. When
the foundation is laid by an unskilled laborer, the building will collapse like
a house of cards. Jesus Himself tells us about two foundations upon which a
house may be built; a strong foundation and a weak foundation which will not
stand, "He is like a man which
built an house, and digged deep, and LAID THE FOUNDATION ON A ROCK: and when
the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not
shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not,
is like a man that WITHOUT A FOUNDATION built an house upon the earth; against
which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of
that house was great" (Luk 6:48-49). When an Architect designs the foundation
he takes into account many factors which a layman would ignore. Some of these
include the soil type, moisture levels and nature of the building. If a doctor
decides to design the foundation, the house will surely collapse just like the
one Jesus described who without a foundation simply built his house upon the
earth. When a Pastor does the work that the Apostle is supposed to do, the
house will surely collapse.
Another important revelation Apostle Paul
mentions is that he has laid the foundation "as a wise MASTERBUILDER" (1 Co 3:10). The word
masterbuilder is translated from the Greek word "architekton" which means a chief constructor or architect.
This means that the Apostle does the work an architect does in the building
design and makes sure that his pattern is followed to ensure comfort and safety
of the occupants. The reason we have had a number of houses collapsing in
Uganda in the recent months is because the supervisory role of the Architect
was substituted with engineers and unskilled foremen who did not know how to
implement the Architect's design. This is not a matter to be taken lightly
since tens of workers have been buried alive under these mainly multi-storied
structures. Likewise many spiritual houses collapse when the wrong foundation
is used. Apostle Paul again points out to the church at Ephesus what kind of
foundation the church throughout all ages should be built upon. "Now therefore ye are no more
strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household
of God; And are built upon the FOUNDATION OF THE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS, Jesus
Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Eph
2:19-20). The reason why we have many strangers and foreigners in the churches
today is because the church was built upon the wrong foundation. A stranger is
one who hops around from church to church and becomes a spiritual grasshopper
who settles nowhere. For us to have true citizens who are committed to their
churches, the true foundation of the apostles and prophets needs to be
employed.
Before Kampala City Council (KCC) approves a
certain building plan it must first see the stamp of a registered Architect on
it. Even if the house was designed and drawn by an architectural student or a
draughtsman, KCC will approve it because it knows that the Architect has
evaluated it and found it worthy. Likewise, every church building plan that the
heavenly council receives must first be stamped by an Apostle. Without the
Apostle's stamp, that congregation is merely a collection of strangers which is
liable to be demolished by the mayor. A church can be planted by an Apostle
working hand in hand with another minister in the five-fold offices i.e.
Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher. However, without the Apostle's stamp,
we merely have a city being designed by highly qualified doctors or "quack
architects". Even if the doctor gets a PHD, Masters or is even a
Professor, the City Council will reject that plan. Even if the doctor operates
in spiritual gifts like prophecy, healings and word of knowledge, the Council
will still reject that plan. This shows us that man in cooperation with the
devil has created a spiritual system which is contrary to God's system and is
actually an extended arm of the Babylonian system.
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