Very Powerful Article This Is Accurate Rhema! No Debating Just Dialog Thanks Apostle Maurice Fields Who is the Chief Apostle, today? By Prophetic Revelation: This teaching that the Bride of Christ has a chief apostle to whom all other apostles and ministers in the 5-Fold Ministry must subject themselves is a heresy. This teaching forces all ministers of every level within the Ascension Gifts to subject their teachings to ONE MAN’s words as the absolute. This is no different from the so-called authority of the Roman Catholic Pope who claims to be Vicarivs Filii Dei or the so-called ABSOLUTE. To propagate this heretical teaching (of a Chief Apostle), several scripture verses have been taken out of context to profile an image that Paul was actually the chief apostle among all the other apostles in his days. If Paul was the chief apostle why did he say: For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things. Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? (2 Cor.11:5-7) I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. (2 Cor.12:11) The word chiefest is from the Greek word lian meaning much, exceeding. The word is used ironically by Paul of the claims of those who decried him: he was forcing a point when he said that he was not behind those other super apostles (extra-super apostles, most eminent apostles). Hence, Paul was simply saying that as an apostle, he was equal to all the other apostles and that he was certainly not inferior. And Jesus said, ...for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers… Neither be called instructors, because One is your Instructor, the Christ (Matt.23:8,10). To insinuate that Paul was the chief apostle because of the abundance of the revelations (cf. 2 Cor.12:7) given to him is unscriptural. Just because one has an abundance of revelations than all others, does that make him the chief? Like all other Ascension Gifts (Eph.4), not all apostles are equal. Some are given 100 folds, some 80 folds, some 50 folds, and so on. But all are apostles. To say that Paul was the chief would decry Peter’s position. Paul could not go where Peter could. He could not even go where Thomas had gone. Though Paul was sent to the Gentiles, he did not cover every Gentile nation. Thomas was sent to India not just to search for the lost sheep of the house of Israel and to give them the Gospel but also to bring the true light to those Gentile pagans there. And whilst he was there, from about 52 A.D., did he not have any revelation from His Lord and Master? And if he did, did he confer (long distance?) with the Apostle Paul about his revelation? Sounds silly, doesn’t it? Each of the apostles played and fulfilled his own part. Each was able to recognize the calling of the other and had eyes to see God’s Truth in unity. If any apostle (or preacher) wants to exalt himself, let him do it in the Lord. He has every right. But let him not over-exalt himself lest he finds himself sitting as God in the assembly of God’s children (cf. 2 Cor.11:16; 12:7; 2 Thes.2:4). In 2 Cor.10, Paul boasted of himself with the others but notice the words he used ― our, us and we. Therefore, anyone who teaches that Paul in his days was THE CHIEF among all the other apostles is a heretic. To falsely teach that all the other apostles had their revelations lined up with Paul’s and were subjected to Paul is nonsense. How did those who were already apostles before Paul line up their revelations? With whom did they line up their revelations anyway? And did John check up his revelations that Christ gave him on the Isle of Patmos with Paul’s revelations? To teach that Paul had clarity of revelations given him is true but to teach that he had revelations in all aspects of the Word of God is a lie. But, to teach that Paul was entrusted with a greater amount of talents, a greater responsibility, a greater portion of the apostolic ministry, and a greater amount of truth would scripturally be correct. To me, less than the least of all saints, was this grace given to announce to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel. (Eph.3:8) No true apostle of God would force another to come under his subjection. But all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble (1 Pet.5:5). And no true apostle of God would teach what he did not first receive from his own Master. Every minister has a part to play in the Ministry of Christ. The standard of God’s Word is placed into the hands of certain men to be raised up in the region(s) that the Lord has placed him. For a minister to make himself the NUMBER ONE APOSTLE over the whole world is baloney. In order to propagate or to endorse such a doctrine these cultic men would have to tear down other ministers and their teachings. In so doing, they are trying to turn believers around towards the ONE MAN they believed to be THE CHIEF APOSTLE. They would take excerpts out of other ministers’ teachings and make long dissertations to prove them wrong and insist those ministers should not be listened to. This is done to call attention to the doctrines taught by the CHIEF APOSTLE to be observed as the YARDSTICK. They announce that anyone whose teaching does not measure up to that YARDSTICK should quickly repent and line up with the CHIEF APOSTLE’S. The attitude of such cultic men would only further dis-unify the Bride of Christ. There is one who is CHIEF in every ministry and that is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s THE INSTRUCTOR to every minister. We could call Him, APOSTLE OF APOSTLES, PROPHET OF PROPHETS, and so on. We could call Him THE CHIEF APOSTLE, THE CHIEF PROPHET, and so on. But all these did not appear in the Scripture except for this one: And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. (1 Pet.5:4) Truly, that alone sums up the whole character of THE CHRIST, as one who cares for His sheep like no others. In conclusion, let me say this: there is one who is truly THE CHIEF. He is called THE CHIEF SHEPHERD (Grk: archipoimen, head shepherd) or ARCH-SHEPHERD. As Chief Shepherd, Christ is never addressed as Chief Apostle, Chief Prophet, Chief Evangelist or Chief Teacher. It is by Him and through His eye that all children of God must see God’s Truth. For one to teach and make a servant of God the chief apostle, he has been deceived by the Nicolaitane spirit. He is bringing back that doctrine of the Nicolaitanes into the church, a doctrine that God hates (Rev.2:15). Remember it is this very spirit of the Nicolaitanes that had put an ARCH over a bishop above all other bishops ― an ARCHBISHOP! Does anyone want the devil to use him to bring about an ARCH-APOSTLE? Remember he will want your allegiance as if he is the ABSOLUTE and has all the RIGHT ANSWERS to Spiritual Truths.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 22:56:23 +0000
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