A NEW GENERATION OF WARRIORS

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*NURTURING A NEW GENERATION OF "PAULINE AND PETRINE" APOSTLES

*WATCH AND EXPECT VISITATION AND WINESKINS TO CHANGE!

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NURTURING A NEW GENERATION OF "PAULINE AND PETRINE" APOSTLES

~ by Dick Scoggins

Dick Scoggins is a founder of the Fellowship of Church Planters (Rhode Island, USA) and has served as a trainer for Frontiers. He is the author, with George Patterson, of Church Multiplication Guide --William Carey Library

My early thinking on apostleship was shaped by Watchman Nee, who made a distinction between the Church and the Work " two distinct entities with distinct spheres. The Church is called to subdue the land, bringing the full weight of the gospel to bear on every segment and aspect of society.

The “Work” is the apostolic work " taking the Kingdom of God to where the Church does not yet exist. The work of the apostolic community has always been to establish the Church where it does not exist and in such a way that the Church will reproduce locally and subdue the land.

Perhaps the best recent definition of an apostle I have read is by Jack Deere in his book Surprised by the Power of the Spirit. Deere states that apostleship is a calling, not a gift nor an especially gifted or powerful person. I strongly agree.

I do not think that an apostle is such a person, or someone who gives oversight to large churches or groups of churches. (The latter more closely resemble “bishops,” such as those of the 2nd and 3rd centuries.)

The primary meaning of apostle is “an authorised sent one” or “messenger”. Apostles are mobile, dynamic groups of emissaries of the Kingdom. They are called to minister as bands or groups " at the very least in twos, as Jesus taught (cf. Acts 13:3,4; 14:4,14; 15:39-41), and sometimes with helpers (cf. Acts 13:5).

Apostles have functioned in communities or networks of communities (for example, Paul’s networks of teams on his second and third journeys as well as during his imprisonment).

The key mark of apostleship is not a big personality, but rather big suffering (cf. 1 Cor. 4:9-13).

When Paul is forced to defend his apostleship, he first cites his suffering (2 Cor. 12:7-10) before his signs and wonders (vs. 11,12).

He wears his suffering as the badge of his apostleship and only acknowledges his signs and wonders when forced to do so.

PAULINE APOSTLESHIP

Pauline apostleship is exercised by pioneering, mobile communities who start local communities of the Kingdom where they do not exist.

They are dynamic, mobile communities, not solo personalities nor bishops who remain “over” churches. It seems there were many apostles, some true, some false, wandering around in the first century " so many that Paul bumped into a lot of them and took care to go to Spain to ensure that he was building on new ground.

PETRINE APOSTLESHIP

A second form of apostleship " what I would call Petrine apostleship " is portrayed in the New Testament. Until recently my work and thinking have focused primarily on Pauline apostles who usually cross cultures to proclaim and reveal the Kingdom of God.

My work with Frontiers has been exclusively in this realm. But I personally have also been engaged in starting house churches in the West, specifically in Rhode Island, USA and England, and I have also started a number of church-planting teams which have been effective at starting networks of house churches in the West.

If I had been pressed as to whether these Western teams were apostolic, until recently I would have replied in the negative or at least been uncertain.

But recently I was coaching a team in Switzerland who pressed me on whether there exists a Peter-type apostle. I replied that we do not see much of Peter in the New Testament, so I could not comment on whether or not the model exists or not. But I was unhappy with my own reply, and so I went back to search the Scriptures.

What I realized was that the Petrine model is much more prevalent than I had imagined. If we read Galatians 2:8-10 as portraying two types of apostleship, then we see some compelling ramifications.

In this passage Paul states that Peter recognised his and Barnabas’ calling as apostles to the Gentiles, while Paul and Barnabas recognize Peter’s and James’ and John’s apostleship to the circumcised Jews.

So we see that there is an apostolic ministry to the unreached (the Pauline), but there is also an apostolic ministry to the existing people of God (the Petrine).

For me the clincher was that Jesus is, of course, the forerunner of both (our high priest and apostle, Hebrews 3:1) but the bulk of His apostleship was to Israel.

This means that nearly ½ of the New Testament is about the Petrine type apostleship. So what does Petrine apostleship look like, and why is it important today?

"NEEDED TODAY" NEW APOSTLES AND NEW WAYS OF DOING CHURCH

Jesus declared that the Kingdom of God was to be torn from the nation of Israel and given to another people who would bear its fruit (Mt. 21:43).

Within a generation the Temple would be destroyed, and the nation of Israel would cease to exist. But God is patient and compassionate: He desired to retain a remnant from Israel who would glorify His name.

So God sent Jesus to call out that remnant who would follow Him in new forms of community that would follow the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.

Jesus appointed Pauline apostles to the Gentiles and Petrine apostles to the Jews that a remnant might bring glory to His name. The Kingdom of God would need new forms and traditions within the era that was to come.

I believe we are seeing a similar pattern today. Western Christendom is in a key transition, perhaps undergoing as large a cultural shift as occurred during the Reformation when I think that last great era of Petrine apostles brought the Church out of medieval forms and into modern forms.

The world is changing, and the Western forms of church, birthed very much according to modernity, are not keeping up. I believe that the world has changed so much that simply adapting existing church structures will not enable appropriate expressions of the Kingdom to come forth for new generations.

What is needed is a whole new way of doing “church” and I think we actually need to drop the word, but that is for a different article.

New types of communities of the Kingdom need to be envisioned and created to be Good News in a new era. I believe that apostles are the creative agents sent by God to bring about radical, creative forms of the Kingdom.

Pauline apostles will seek forms appropriate and indigenous to the new cultures they are bringing the Kingdom to, not merely exporting Western church culture, as has often been the case.

But apostolic ministry is now needed in the West as well. If the Western church is not going to die out, then we will require new expressions of Kingdom communities.

I think this will require a recovery of Petrine apostles "creative pioneers who will explore Kingdom communities appropriate to our post-modern world.

These apostolic families will blaze the trail to new kinds of communities and structures suitable to high-powered, mobile, and technological society, as well as communities for the poor and disenfranchised who will largely miss out on the very things that power the new world.

These pioneers are not called to make further adaptations to faltering models, but rather, like Jesus, Peter, James and John, call God’s people to move on from old formulations in a journey to the new.

Such a journey will be every bit as radical and terrifying as it must have been for those early Jewish believers who watched the destruction of their nation and traditions.

Today’s Petrine apostles will bear the same primary mark of apostleship "persecution " for their ministry is bound to be misunderstood at best by existing churches.

What is needed today is an explosion of apostolic ministry. God is calling Pauline apostles to bring the Kingdom to nations without an indigenous, cultural expression of the Kingdom of God in local communities.

God is calling a new generation of Petrine apostles to forge new communities in the West and where Western churches have become the normative expression of the Kingdom in other cultures.

It is my hope that these Petrine apostles can bring the Western church into a new era of fruitfulness where Kingdom communities reflect the glory of the Living God and impart faith, hope and love to those in darkness.

"WATCH AND EXPECT VISITATION AND WINESKINS TO CHANGE!"

~ From: Chuck Pierce

www.glory-of-zion.org

"THE HEBRAIC YEAR OF 5767 IS "THE YEAR OF SAMEKH ZAYIN!"

The pictograph for this year is a Sword wearing a Crown. Many of the tests that have come into our path in the past season have been difficult.

However, each test was meant to produce a testimony. Our testimony overcomes! God is developing and sending forth overcomers! When we overcome we receive strength.

Your tests have sharpened you for the future! Take the crowns from your last season's victories, throw them at His feet, and allow Him to release an anointing for you to overcome even more as you enter 2007!

We are still coming full circle, but this is the year that the Sword of the Lord becomes the central figure in our journey! We have completed the fifth year of a seven-year war season in the earth realm and have entered this sixth year with great anticipation, expectation, and a watchful eye.

With this being The Year of the Sword, we will see the Word become a reality in the earth realm in a new way. The Lord is developing a people who will represent His Word with great maturity and authority.

The darkness has never and will never overpower the Light of His Word! The anointing of this Light will break every yoke. May you be anointed in a new way for the year ahead.

RESPONDING LIKE SIMEON AND ANNA

During this time of year, we reflect and celebrate the birth of our Messiah, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. There are two portions of this historical account that are speaking to me for us this year.

Luke 2:25-38 gives the response of Simeon and Anna. They were people watching and expecting!

Simeon was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. When Simeon saw the child, he knew He was the Promise that he had been waiting to embrace.

Do not grow weary and give up, but press on until you see and touch your promise! Once Simeon saw the Promise, then he began to prophesy the future.

Anna was advanced in years; a widow who was eighty-four years old. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fasting and prayers. When she saw what she had been praying and interceding for through the years, she immediately began to give thanks.

This is a year that age does not matter. Your prayers are being heard! May your eyes see a manifestation of your faith. (God has put many things in the depths of our heart--watch and expect a performance of His word.)

This is a year of completing one portion of your prophetic destiny and embracing the next.

HEED YOUR WARNINGS AND HIDE YOURSELF

The other aspect of the story comes from Matthew 2. This has to do with Herod's desire to find the Christ child so he could "worship" Him. Both the Magi and Joseph were warned in a dream which way to go to protect the Promise from the anti-Christ system.

You will have Divine Warnings this year. Be willing to change courses so you can protect that which Heaven is bringing forth on your behalf. Heed your dreams, warnings, checks in your spirit, and the still, small Voice telling you which way to go!

THE PRAYER MOVEMENT IS NOW BIRTHING APOSTOLIC, PROPHETIC WATCHMEN

God is raising up Harvest Watchmen! This year my role has been to help the Body understand the Watch of the Lord by writing Reordering Your Day: Understanding and Embracing the Four Prayer Watches (which you can order below).

The prayer movement will change this year! We will move from being praying intercessors, to apostolic, decreeing watchmen. Apostles will become those watching for strategies to unlock harvest fields.

EXCLAMATION, EXPECTATION, AND VISITATION

"There is much revelation stored in your bone marrow that the Word of the Lord will pierce and release for many to profit from."

God is dealing with our emotions. We must be healed of trauma. When we are traumatized, we lose our expectation of God to work on our behalf. This is a year for revelation to be poured out upon us.

However, if we have blocked emotions, we will not be able to correctly process this revelation by faith.

Heavens will open in new ways. There will be many Heavenly visitations discussed among God's people. Expect dreams and visions and visitations in the night.

This is the Prophet's year. New wine causes wine skins to change. Many religious structures will not be able to contain what God is pouring out in the earth this year. Apostolic, prophetic leadership is key for the Church to mature and be established in this next year.

I see this as the year the Spirit of God will test and qualify many apostles and prophets who will lead His Kingdom plan in the earth realm in the next 10 years.

APOSTLES MUST BE RIGHTLY CONNECTED with prophets and process revelation that is being released from the Throne Room.

The prophetic anointing will grow and be unlocked in new ways this year. There is much revelation stored in your bone marrow that the Word of the Lord will pierce and release for many to profit from.

Leaders who are unwilling to receive revelation of God's present truth and methods will clash with those in their own networks and attempt to persecute the rising apostolic, prophetic generation.

Many new alignments will occur this year. What an exciting year for God's people!

Blessings,

Chuck D. Pierce

A NEW GENERATION OF WARRIORS

~L.D. Oxford
Ldo2003@msn.com

http://joshua-ap.net/

http://joshuaapld.blogspot.com/

Today i am presenting you with a couple of other articles that came in from one of the ministries that we are networked with, concerning what the Lord is doing with the youth in different areas.

This will surely provoke some of the older generation to fervently seek after God and to realize what opportunities may be passing them by while sitting on the banks of the River of God.

It's surely time to jump into the river and to leave traditions behind that would damper or to keep our youth in a religion-imposed box.

During the move of God which is on the increase, all should allow the Lord to break off the old-mindsets in exchange for His glorious presence in our lives, so that we will be able to impact and to also encourage a new generation that God is raising up .

The Lord desires to use the older generation to come forth as spiritual Fathers and Mothers who will nurture the youth in this amazing and radical youth revolution, along with the powerful anointing that is being released in them.

Youth are being drawn to the Lord across the nations by the thousands, who are very radical in comparison to what the Church has been used to over the years. They are hungry for God and ready to leave a mark on their generation, and to take the Kingdom by force.

Overseas in some of the muslim nations, the radical fundamentalists are training their youth at a very early age in terrorism and suicide bombing, while the Lord is raising up a radical new generation of youth who will terrorize the devils kingdom and "to explode" with the true message, power and love of Jesus Christ.

These youth are clothed with the fatigues and breastplate of the righteousness of God, with the glory of the Lord shining upon them. The weapons of their warfare are not carnal, but are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.

Some of them are on their way to bootcamp, while others have already graduated and are now being moved to the frontlines of battle. But the Lord is with them.

These are walking in the fear (awe and reverance) of the Lord, while looking forward to the precious time that they get to spend in the presence of God, for hours on end.

They are finding their intimacy with the Lord, in abandoning themselves in His presence. They are learning how to be intimate with the Father and to also have a heart for a lost and dying generation.

Being used of God is not limited to the age of a person, as everyone in the free world or otherwise, has the same opportunity and choices to know, to seek, to obey and to serve God. However, much of the learned religious mentality that many people have been conditioned in over the years is not sufficient nor compatible with the endtime move of the Spirit.

Many are being required by God to unlearn the old ways, while allowing the Lord to move them into His new way of doing things.

(Note: It's not new to God, but will be new to us when we learn of His ways.)

God is desiring to move people off of the padded pews and into the harvest that is now upon us while devoting a portion of that time to be spiritual parents to a new generation that He is raising up.

If those spiritual parents try to put these kids in a religious box, they will break out of it, only to find someone else that will nurture them who has the heart of God in this fresh and new move of the Spirit.

Will you be one of those who will cast aside your "old box" for your own sake, for the sake of the youth and for the sake of the Kingdom of God?

Embrace them, love them, teach them the Word, and encourage them to arise as a part of God's endtime Army who will go forward, to do the works and exploits of Christ.

In doing this, the Lord will also continue to use many of the older generation in an awesome way as well. But it all depends on how they are willing to change and to align themselves with the heart of the Father.

The Lord knows exactly what it will take to get His people to where they need to be in Him. However, the straight and narrow road of obedience to God is the best route to take to find your destiny in Him.

He loves you and so do we here.

~ L.D. Oxford
Ldo2003@msn.com

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SPIRITUAL GRAND-KIDS DO MIGHTY WORKS

By Bob Brasset
Extreme Healing Ministry
Victoria, BC, Canada

Over the past 10 months or so, I've noticed something quite wonderful. It's an acceleration in the spirit. All that we've been doing in the nation of the earth for the past seven years - healings, salvations, signs and wonders and the miraculous - are here, BUT now, they seem to be happening faster and increasing in quality and number.

The other notable diference I've noticed is that they seem to be now happening in the street and the marketplace and the ones spearheading this are the youth.

I want to ask those reading this report, "Do you notice this as well?" Isn't this a new season of fruitfulness we've entered? Would you mind giving me some feedback? Please send me reports of changes you've noticed and experiences you are having with healing the miraculous.

SPIRITUAL GRANDSONS EXCELL

I'm in my 60's. I have spiritual sons in thier 40's who are doing truly wonderful exploits but it is the spiritual grandsons, those in their teens and twenties, who have truly surprised me and who are "taking it beyond" anything I, or my spiritual sons have experienced. Let me explain.

I've been spending time with these young people - these spiritual grandkids. They are absolutely radical and sold out. They've accepted my training and mentoring and are taking this to new levels.

HOW THEY OPERATE

Here's how basically they operate. They lavish time each day in the presence of the Lord, the secret place of intimacy (Psalm 91), sometimes 7 or 8 hours at a stretch. Then they come with me or sometimes go out alone.

They remind me of how Wigglesworth or Finney would just sit down near people, not say a word, but just project God's presence. The people would begin shaking, then weeping, then crying out for mercy.

Well, that's exactly what is happening now both here in Victoria in North America and abroad. They sit down near people. After 15 orn 20 minutes, the people begin shaking, then sweating, then weeping, then asking "what is happening to me?"

At this point, one of us intervenes and tells them, "you need Jesus." They begin repenting and crying out. They they receive Jesus Often what happens next, usually without our initiating anything, is that demons begin to manifest and are quickly cast out.

Sometimes there are bystanders, sometimes not. Remember this is almost always in a public place. Then, after about another 10 minutes, the atmosphere changes and the power of God touches them and they begin speaking in tongues, again usually without my help or encouragement from my spiritual grandkids or me. This goes on for about 20 minutes and we don't interrupt.

More:
http://www.openheaven.com/forums/

forum_posts.asp?TID=6384&PN=1&TPN=1

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ACTS OF AGGRESSION

Larry R. Taylor

Mat 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."

One of the more popular interpretations of the words spoken by Jesus in Matthew 11:12 is that the Kingdom of God is taken by those who aggressively pursue the Kingdom. This understanding is consistent with the clearer statement found in Hebrews 11:6:

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

This morning I heard the Lord saying He desires a passionate people not a passive people. Of course we know He loves all people, especially His own. But there is a release reserved for those who demonstrate by their actions an aggressive posture towards His presence and His promises.

I believe both from scripture and experience that the Lord is pleased with those who demonstrate a type of faith that will not be denied. A few years ago while ministering in San Diego I witnessed a startling example firsthand.

As I was preaching in a Sunday evening service a group of teenagers were seated near the front. The whole time I was speaking they seemed to be restless. They were fidgeting and on the edge of their seats the entire message.

I misinterpreted their behavior thinking they wanted me to finish quickly so they could get on with important stuff like cell phoning their friends.

When I gave the altar call for those who wanted to be filled with the glory of the Lord, all 14 or so of the teenagers ran to the front. As they ran to the front I realized how badly I had misread the situation.

More:
http://www.openheaven.com/forums/

forum_posts.asp?TID=6303&PN=1&TPN=1

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Additional website info posted:

"New Generation of Warriors"

http://home.earthlink.net/~victorious1_2005/

An anointed, upbeat, five-fold contemporary site and weblog for youth which will be inter-linked with some of the most powerful Christian youth ministry sites and resources on the net.

It will include many different discussion forums to choose from, chatrooms, along with contemporary worship music links, Christian Music Videos, Mp3, concert information, a "Salvation Station" Outreach forum, Christian growth teaching geared toward youth, Youth Ministry Training links, Personal Ministry and a whole lot more.

For teens and young adults!

We will also use this site to post lots of testimonies from youth around the world along with favorite photos of those who are young friends of this Joshua A/P Network youth site.

If you are new here to the site, feel free to write in with your testimonies of what the Lord Jesus has done in your lives and let us know how you came to know Him. victorious1_2005@earthlink.net (no spam or elists to this address please)

Also, if you are new here and do not yet have a relationship with the Lord, you may write in to us and we will help you and pray with you to come to know Him.

Send in your favorite photos to share with the other youth on this site, along with your full name, city, state and country you are from.

Just email your submissions to us, by clicking on the "contact us" link on the side-menu and we will select the best articles, resources and photos for posting on the site here.

We do not guarantee that every submission or photo will be posted, but we can work with you on that.

Also, we are going to fill up this new site with links for Christian music, resources, messages, concert info, ministry links and some of the finest Christian worship artist links, so send them in too. We need your help to do this!!!

On the new youth discussion forums that we are now building, you will find many places to share, to express yourselves, to talk about current events and to chat about other things.

Those forums are now under construction, yet you may still go there to get signed up so that when everything is complete you will already have your membership there. We also have other forum links on the page for all ages where you may join also.

We have another page where we will place Christian movie, music and book reviews that are geared for "this generation" of youth who come to our site.

We also have a place to share original writings, prophecy, art, music, poetry and other giftings within the Body of Christ. So send in your submissions today!

We will update this site frequently, so make sure to check back regularly, so that you wont miss out on a thing!!! Blessings in Christ, L.D.

Joshua AP Network Homesite: http://www.joshua-ap.net

& The Joshua AP Elist: http://lists.topica.com/lists/joshuaelist