Many times, in the gospels, Jesus rebuked those first apostles for arguing, disputing, or discussing among themselves about which of them was going to be the greatest in the Kingdom. Several times he sat a little child in their midst and commanded them all to become like that little child. If they wanted to be great in the Kingdom, they were to become like little children and be the servants of all (Matthew 18: 1-4; Luke 22: 24-27).
In 2 Corinthians 10: 12-18, Paul first strongly condemned (to give judgment against, to pronounce guilty) those who sought to make a name for themselves and who kept comparing themselves with one another to see who was the greatest. He made it very clear that we should know the sphere that God has appointed us to and not seek to go beyond it. If we do, we will be in disobedience and may interfere with and hinder what God is already doing through another Apostolic ministry.
Second, we should only seek to function at our true measure and not try to be, or make ourselves out to be, bigger in God than we really are.
3rd, we should know what God has called us to do and to do it in our particular ministry. We should have a very clear job description. Paul said of himself that he was called to be an apostle, preacher, and teacher to the gentiles (1 Timothy 2: 7; 2 timothy 1: 11) and to make known to them the unsearchable riches of Christ Ephesians 3: 8.
Paul was equally emphatic that even though he was a Jew and had a great burden for the Jews, they were no longer part of his sphere. He recognized that Peter and James were now specifically called to be apostles to the Jews (Romans 9: 1-5, 11 26; Galatians 2: 7-9).
The Kingdom and missions began with Jerusalem.
The resurrection commandment Jesus gave to his disciples to go into all the world, preach the gospel to every creature, and make disciples of all nations (Mark 16: 15; Matthew 28: 18-20) was not immediately obeyed.
It took persecution following the martyrdom of Stephan for the church to begin to fulfill this command. It began with Jerusalem, the first and only city church at that time. From there it went to Samaria, then to the gentile household of Cornelius, and on to Antioch, which became the first gentile city to be really touched.
When the report came back to Jerusalem that the Spirit had fallen on gentiles just as he had on Jews in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, they began to obey Jesus’s commandment more earnestly. They then sent out Apostolic teams to plant new churches and form new Apostolic centers, or city churches.
Antioch: the next Apostolic center
Soon, Antioch became an Apostolic center and a gathering place for several apostles and prophets, and all other Ephesians 4: 11 ministries. Antioch then began to send out its own Apostolic teams to evangelize and plant churches in totally new areas. These Apostolic teams reported back to Antioch and not to Jerusalem (Acts: 26-28).
Jerusalem and Antioch: in non-controlling partnership
The apostles in Jerusalem were in relationship with those in Antioch. They consulted each other, but never directed or controlled what the other was doing. Antioch concentrated on the gentile world while Jerusalem sent apostles to the many Jewish communities scattered all over the Roman Empire and beyond.
First Thessalonica, and then Ephesus, became city churches. Antioch gave birth to Thessalonica; Later a powerful center was established in Ephesus. These rapidly became city churches and Apostolic regional centers with many churches that they themselves had planted. The new churches were under the direct Apostolic care of the Apostles who planted them and of the Apostolic centers that originally sent Apostolic teams out.
The original Apostolic centers were soon actively giving birth to other new Apostolic centers. The clear strategy was to evangelize and then identify and develop the indigenous apostles, prophets, and other Ephesians 4: 11 ministries in the new region. The founding apostle with his team and other ministries would then father these embryonic apostles and other ministries to maturity. They were then released to build their own strongly related, but not externally controlled, Apostolic centers and city churches in their own cities and nations.
All mission activity was apostolically envisioned and directed.
In the early church, all missionaries went out in Apostolic teams lead or directed by apostles. These ministries were either apostles themselves or were sent as Apostolic delegations to serve with their particular apostle. The Apostolic delegations were sent either from the home base of the apostle whom they went to serve or to an apostle who, through a different home base, was already established in the region to which the delegation was going. Individual missionaries doing their own independent thing we not known in these days.
Whatever was established was put into local hands as soon as indigenous apostles had emerged and these new relational apostle centers had become mature enough to handle their own affairs. They were not controlled from some international headquarters, and they did not carry some worldwide international or denominational label such as “the Jerusalem world outreach church in Antioch”.
Financial and other practical support continued to flow from one region to another so that one’s regional wealth could minister to another’s regional lack. But it was placed at the local apostle’s feet, and these apostles were then responsible for handling these resources with wisdom, humility, and complete financial integrity.
Para church ministries: validity and roles
We need to see that God’s plan and desire is to have one church, one body, one family, in each city working and serving together as members one of another. Even though we might meet in separate communities for our regular Sunday meetings, we are still part of one another.
Once we see this, we understand that no legitimate ministry raised up by God can truly be called a para church ministry. Para church literally means working outside or alongside the church, which was never God’s plan. Every ministry must see itself and be recognized as being Within the one body of Christ and part of the one church. Each ministry should support, recognize, and have relationships with and accountability to the God appointed leadership and Apostolic authorities in the city. Such ministries are raised up by God to fulfill a specific function of the one body of Christ. There is only one ecclesia or community of believers in any city.
If our perspective is totally centered on our own local church and if we are totally focused on only doing our own local thing, then we may wrongly see some of these ministries as being outside of us or at best alongside us. But they should always be seen as part of us.
Some are called to the church, and some called to the work. We need to carefully distinguish between serving God directly in the life of a local church and serving God in the wider Apostolic work of establishing and extending the Kingdom of God, whether in the city or in other regions and nations.
In this sense, many apostles and other Ephesians 4: 11 ministries are called to the work of the Kingdom and into the wider church body and cannot at the same time be two deeply involved in the daily life of any single local community of believers or local church.
When a local church can joyfully see this, then they can be a non-demanding family base for the people who are called to the work. Those called to the work and their families can be prayed for, supported, and refreshed within the local community without that community putting unreasonable demands on their time, gifts, or finances.
In doing this, the community actively sows into the wider work of the Kingdom and, as Jesus promised, will receive their reward from the Lord.
Let’s us pray:
Lord, you have plans that are exactly right for our political, social, and economic situations in this nation and others; and they are exactly right for our spiritual condition. Lord, we want to be as wise as David. We want to be united with the other leaders whom you have raised up. We want to seek your face together with your apostles, prophets, and other Ephesian’s 4: 11 ministries. Together, we want to all hear from God. We want them to know that this is of you.
We ask that all your people receive a vision that is good for “the whole” of the body of Christ. Then we will abandon the futile and useless ways learned from our fathers or invented ourselves; we will start to do your will with your power so that the Kingdom you have promised will come in its fullness, and our enemies will be defeated. We will reap a mighty harvest, the glory of your church will increase, the power of your government will increase, and all society will be impacted and changed. We believe that you are sufficient to do this. We are willing. We are available to do your will. Lord, let your Kingdom come. Let your will truly be done on earth, just as it is in heaven, and she is this mighty name. Amen!