Thinking Beyond My Church || State Road Church Of The Nazarene

Last week we started talking about Ephesians

Ephesians 4:11–13

chapter 4 verses 11 through 13 and kind of the

gist of it and this is really all we got to last

week is it says that he gave some to be apostles

he gave some to be prophets he gave some to be

evangelists he gave some to be shepherds and

he gave some to be teachers and he gave all of

those for the equipping and building up of the

saints. So today we're going to continue that

and we're going to talk specifically about apostles,

but just kind of help me here. This is kind of

like the pre -test. How many would say that you

already know that you're an apostle of the fivefold,

that you're somebody that is, that he gave some

to be apostles? How many apostles would are here

so far. So you might change your story by the

time we're done, we'll see. How many of you would

say you're prophets? And there's kind of a little

bit of an example up there, or maybe you've taken

the test and that might help you. Also, if you're

watching us online, let me know. Send us a note

and you can just say apostle, I'll know what

that means, or prophet, I'll know what that means.

So you can do that even right now or when you

watch throughout the week. How many of you would

say that you're an evangelist? An evangelist.

Actually, Jim, I would put you in that ballpark.

I would put you in that ballpark. How many of

you would say that you're a shepherd? Shepherds

and teachers. How many of you would say that

you're a teacher? So as we go through this, you

might change that. And you might say, I think

maybe I am an apostle. And I certainly want to

know that too. So if you're like, man, that finally

connects. kind of feel like I know where I land

and all of that. That would be awesome. So today

we're going to talk specifically about apostles.

And apostles comes from a Greek word, apostolos.

You don't need to know it, but it'll make you

feel smarter if you say it. So if you say it

three times, then you'll feel like you're a genius.

Apostolos. And apostolos is somebody who is sent

with a message and authority. That's really all

it is Not anything that complicated message and

authority so you could think of an apostle as

one who is sent with full backing So there are

a bunch of different kinds of apostles or types

of apostles in scripture the twelve all of them

are apostles, right? So they start off following

Jesus and their disciples, which just means that

they're students, that they're lifelong learners,

that they're learning from Jesus. And he eventually

calls them together and he gives them authority.

He gives them a message. The message is go preach

that the kingdom of God is here, right? That's

the message. and he gives them authority. Matthew

10 .1 talks about that. So Jesus calls the 12

disciples to him. He gave them authority to drive

out impure spirits and to heal every sickness

and every disease. And from that moment on, it's

a watershed moment. From that moment on, they're

not called the disciples anymore. They're called

the apostles. Why? Because they've been sent

out with a message and authority. How did they

get their authority? From Jesus. Jesus sends

them out with a message. authority. You also

have Paul. Paul describes himself as an apostle

and others who are talking about Paul talk about

him as being an apostle. And he was an apostle

to a specific group of people. Paul was an apostle

to who? The Gentiles, right? Paul was an apostle

to the Gentiles. So you have others, you have

Barnabas, and you have James, and you have somebody

that we're going to spend a little bit more time

talking about, Junia. How many of you have heard

something about Junia at some point? Well, you

won't be able to say that anymore because you're

going to know something about Junia. And I do

want to spend a little time talking about her

because there's an important distinction that's

made with Junia. How many of you caught what

I just said? How many of you caught something

in what I just said? So Danita caught something

that I just said and so I want to I want to Walk

through a little bit of stuff with Juni if you

have your Bible there I want you to see this

with me. I don't want you to take my word for

it I want you to look at Romans chapter 16 verse

Romans 16:7

7 Romans chapter 16 verse 7. It's an important

Romans 16:7

verse So who wrote the book of Romans? How many

of you say Paul? The Apostle Paul. You are correct

if you said the Apostle Paul. He was writing

to the believers in Rome and this is what he

said in Romans 16 verse 7. Greet Andronicus.

Romans 16:7

I just I love the name. I should have named one

of our children Andronicus. I just love the name.

And Junia. How many of you see that? And greet

Andronicus and Junia. My fellow Jews who have

been in prison with me, here's the phrase that

I want you to see. They are outstanding among

the apostles. In fact, say that with me. They

are outstanding among the apostles. That was

absolutely terrible. That was absolutely terrible.

Say that with me. They are outstanding among

the apostles. They... were in Christ before I

was. Again, that's Romans 16, 7. So here's the

mic drop. Are you ready for this? Are you ready?

Junia was a woman. Junia was a woman. So... In

the early church, there's this early church father.

How many of you have heard of a guy by the name

of Chrysostom? Chrysostom, he's an early church

father. He's a big deal. He wrote a lot. So when

he talks about something, it gives a lot of validity

to us. So people who are understanding church

history and studying church history, they look

to him as being one of the major people that,

like if he talks about it, hey, it's pretty legit.

So Chrysostom, talks about the fact that Junia

was a woman and she was an apostle. And that's

obviously a big deal, right? So it really is

a huge, huge thing. So later mistranslations

tried to masculinize her name due to discomfort

with female leadership. But make no mistake about

it, Junia was an apostle and a woman. So this

phrase I want you to notice this phrase with

me So the phrase is outstanding among the Apostles

and if you want to see it in Greek, I won't go

through all of it right now I've got it in my

notes. You can come see it afterwards. I'll show

you the exact phrase in Greek outstanding among

the Apostles so when I started playing baseball

I started playing baseball at the age of four

and I loved playing baseball and I wasn't very

good starting out and eventually I found my niche

And my niche was as a catcher. I mean, I loved

it once I started catching. I'm like, this is

amazing. But I wasn't good enough to start off

as a catcher. I started off playing baseball.

Does anybody want to guess? In right field. And

do you know why you put somebody in right field?

Because in baseball, you're not ever going to

see a ball in right field. And they knew that.

so I couldn't mess up anything, so they put me

in right field. And I had a glove... in those

early days that wasn't even my glove. It belonged

to somebody in my family and was actually a softball

glove. And I don't know if you realize this,

but there is a difference between a baseball

glove and a softball glove. But I was such a

quality player that my family just said, the

boy will do just fine with a softball glove.

After all, he's playing in right field. He's

never gonna see a ball anyways and it won't make

any difference whatsoever if he's got this glove.

But the thing on the glove was absolutely amazing

to me because the glove in black letters written

like right here on the thumb said outstanding

in your field. And I'm like, see right there

I have proof of it. I'm outstanding in my field.

And it's all where you put the emphasis really

because I was. I was just out. standing in the

field. That's really what I was, because I would

just stand there and kick the dandelions. I wasn't

gonna see a ball. Anyways, I did eventually get

a lot better. So this isn't that. This isn't

just out standing in the field. This is that

Andronicus and Junia were outstanding among the

Apostles. Now I know that maybe Maybe there's

some question about that in English because you

could be outstanding in the field or outstanding

in the field. So I understand that there could

be some questions in English, but I want you

to understand this and if you don't know it,

come see the notes and I'll show you all of this,

but it is crystal clear in the original language.

Absolutely crystal clear. There's not a question

in the world So this isn't that she was just

known by the apostles, but that Junia was an

apostle, and not only was she an apostle, she

was like the cream of the crop. That's what's

very clear in the original language. Well, why

is that such a big deal? It's a big deal because

Junia was recognized as an apostle. That challenges

gender -based limitations on leadership in the

church. not just in Paul's day, but in our day.

Somebody say amen. So she represents a biblical

precedent for women in apostolic ministry. If

you agree with that, say amen. Junia represents

biblical precedent for women in apostolic ministry?

Well, what was Junia's apostolic role? I'm so

glad that you asked. That's an important question.

Junia was most likely, according to Chrysostom,

was most likely a church planter, a missionary,

and a teacher. Junia was imprisoned at the same

time Paul was. So while Paul's vibing in one

prison cell, Junia is in another prison cell.

Both of them have been arrested for being apostles.

Both were charged with the same crime. And they

both were thrown in prison showing boldness and

sacrifice. And you say, well, why is that such

a big deal? Because what we just talked about

with Junia checks all the boxes for biblical

apostles. That's why it's a big deal. So if you

look at Paul, we have no question that Paul was

an apostle. Why? Because he meets those criteria.

In the exact same criteria that you just used

to say that Paul is an apostle, Junia checks

every box. So if Paul's an apostle, Junia is

an apostle. So bottom line Junia was a female

Apostle now, here's the part that you got to

get so Romans was written by who? Paul We all

agree with that, right? It's not a trick question

like asking you who wrote the book of Hebrews

Because the answer is we don't know now we have

some ideas Because that opens up an entire another

can of worms and I have my own theory about that

and maybe some other time We'll talk about that.

But anyways, I have my own theory, but it's just

that it's just a theory But there's no question

about who wrote the book of Romans Paul So Paul

says great Andronicus and Junia Who were outstanding

among the Apostles now? Here's what I want you

to see so who's writing that Paul? And how many

of you would say that Romans 16 -7 Paul is affirming

Junia as an apostle? This is the same Paul who

says that women should be silent in the church.

So I don't know about you, but when I realized

that this same Paul who is affirming Junia in

Romans 16 verse 7 is the same Paul who said women

Romans 16:7

should be silent in the church, it tells me that

there's more to the story. And that I don't know

that we need to take the tension and I don't

think we need to see it as a contradiction. It's

not a contradiction at all. It's an invitation

for us to rethink some things. about what was

really going on and when Paul says things like

that, what's he talking about? And the answer

is he was addressing a specific contextual situation

that was going on in a specific church. And we've

proof text that to disqualify some of the people

who are the most outstanding as apostles and

prophets and evangelists and shepherds. and teachers.

It would be different. If Junia was the only

female apostle I could point to this morning,

it would be slightly different. It would be reckless

for me to proof text that and say, okay, this

is what's going on. Junia's not the only one.

Let me give you one other example. How many of

you are familiar with the lady by the name of

Lydia? Lydia. Lydia was a business woman who

sold purple fabric. And I could tell you all

kinds of stuff about why that was significant.

For today, it doesn't really matter. She was

an entrepreneur. Everyone say that. You'll just

feel smart. Entrepreneur. She was an entrepreneur.

She was a very successful businesswoman. As a

result, she was likely wealthy. She had great

influence in her community. The Bible tells us

that she was a worshiper of God. Here's the phrase

that specifically said about her, that she was

a God, she was a Gentile, God -fearing woman.

She was a God -fearer who was spiritually hungry

and receptive. Did you know that Lydia was the

very first European convert? You can find that

straight from the Bible. The Bible talks about

that. You can also find it in church history

if you talk to Josephus Chrysostom either one

of those folks Historians they will tell you

that she was in fact the very first convert in

all of Europe and she was a household leader

and a host so she led a house church and She

led the people of her house to faith and get

this So not only does she lead the people of

her house to the Lord, but she started the very

first house church in Philippi. So now, let me

make sure you're following this. So Lydia starts

a house church, the very first one in Philippi.

What does that make her? An apostle. And because

she leads the church in Philippi, that also makes

her a shepherd, because she's providing pastoral

care to the people in her house church in Philippi,

and that also makes her, because she leads her

entire household to the Lord, that makes her

an evangelist. So she's an apostle, she's a shepherd,

she's an evangelist, but today we're only talking

about apostles, right? So how many of you would

say that Lydia is at least an apostle? She started

the very first church in Philippi. It actually

doesn't matter what you say about her. That's

what she is by definition, right? so Here's the

thing I want you to get in all of that biblically

men and women are included in all of the fivefold

if you're with me say uh -huh This is not a good

old boys club Everyone gets to play last night

I I was looking at an opportunity when we talk

about an evangelist I thought it was a great

follow -up and I was going to talk to you guys

about an opportunity that you have to go and

be a part of evangelizing and they go to sporting

events and in large community events and there's

this group of people and I was going to talk

to you guys about it and say hey I think this

is if you're an evangelist or you're feeling

like the Lord might be moving you in that direction

this would be a great opportunity and I was reading

through it again last night and I told Danita

I said Actually, I'm not going to encourage our

people to do that. Anyone know why? Because of

one little line that said this, and if you want

to pass this along to men in your network. Yeah,

I'm not opposed to passing it on to men in my

network. If I can also pass it on to women in

my network too. Like this idea that it's a good

old boys club only, that only men get to do this,

is absurd. So we've talked a little bit about

what, about who apostles are. I want to look

at how they function, what they do. So here we

go. They are foundational builders Ephesians

2 20 This is what it says and are built upon

the foundation of the Apostles and the prophets

Jesus Christ himself being the chief in cornerstone.

So they're foundational builders They're also

pioneers of new works. They're stewards of revelation

and doctrine their spiritual fathers and mothers

spiritual fathers and mothers who serve as overseers.

They operate in signs and wonders. You say, where

in the world did you get that? I'm so glad that

you ask. Second Corinthians 12, 12 says this,

when I was with you, I certainly gave you proof

that I am an apostle, for I patiently did many

signs and wonders and miracles among you. So

apostles are often... those who work in signs

and wonders. Ephesians 4 11 through 13 affirms

the fivefold for the equipping of the saints.

So the reason that there are apostles in the

church, you're gonna hear me say this like every

time we talk about a new one, the reason that

there are apostles in the church, the reason

that there are apostles in the world is so they

feel really jolly good about themselves. That's

why that God calls some to be apostles, right?

It's because, hey, I just want you to feel really

good about yourself, and I want you to have a

feather in your cap, and I want you to have something

you can brag on. So, like, when people are doing

the David Letterman stupid pet tricks, I want

you to have something to bring to the table,

and you can just tell people, I'm an apostle,

and that way I feel good about myself, my identity

gets all wrapped up in that. That's why he did

it, right? Wrong. Why did he do it? To build

up the body of Christ. That's the reason there

are apostles. So in function, there's a little

bit of overlap between apostles and shepherds,

or apostles and pastors. So I have a little bit

of a graphic that I think will help you with

that. Actually, I took it out. So Elizabeth,

sorry, that was me. So I'm looking at a graphic

that you all don't have. I should have left it

in, because it's a really good graphic. So apostles,

they're sent to pioneer plant and expand. Pastors

are called to nurture and guide the local flock.

You see the difference? There's some overlap

there, but there's a difference. So big picture

versus personal details. Apostles focus on regions,

systems, and strategies. They're the big picture

folks. So in our relationship, Danita and I...

This is 100 % me. I'm the big picture person.

I've gotten better. Janita would tell you this.

When we first started dating, I could tell you

in vivid detail the big picture, and I couldn't

tell you the first detail about what it was going

to take to get there. It's just not the way that

God wired me. Now, I've been forced to get better.

I'm pretty good with details now. In fact, people

who know me now and didn't know me then, they

would probably say, well, I think you're too

hard on yourself because I do pretty well with

the details now. But that's not natural to me.

I've worked at that. Big picture is very natural

to me. Danita sometimes struggles to get the

big picture, but she can see every detail that

it's going to take to get there. Which one's

more important? Well, duh, are you listening

to what I'm saying? Neither one's more important,

right? We need both of those. So apostles see

the big picture and people more with a pastoral

role. They focus on individuals, relationship,

and healing. nitty -gritty. They're the ones

who are the glue that keep the thing together.

So founding versus sustaining. Apostles launch

new works. They build from scratch. Pastors sustain

and grow long -term ministries. So authority

versus accessibility. Apostles govern across

churches. They're strategic leaders. Pastors

are deeply rooted and available to the local

body. See the difference? Some overlap, right?

So again, big picture. Small details. It's kind

of the two things. Paul led apostolically. He

was the guy who was the big picture guy. He was

overseeing multiple churches. Timothy served

pastorally under his mentorship. Paul launched,

Timothy nurtured. One blazed the trail, the other

kept the fire burning. You see how those work

together? They're not in competition with one

another. We need both of those. And they kind

of overlap in some ways. So it's like what The

apostles are kind of like the tip of the spear.

And the pastors are the one who then come behind

that and establish groups and care for the people

who are there and keep the thing going. Does

that make sense? So they always work together.

Apostles bring vision and expansion. Pastors

bring depth and stability together that they

ensure that the church both goes and grows. And

both are important. So here's the question. Do

we still need apostles today? If the early church

needed apostles like Barnabas, like Paul, like

Andronicus and Junia, do we still need apostles

today? Well, the short answer is yes. We still

need them. They're vital because we still are

about pioneering new work. We're still about

equipping believers We're still about multiplying

in the church So Apostles again kind of the tip

of the spear for advancing the kingdom pastors

then come along and they care for the What's

been already planted and they make sure that

it gets nurtured like other parts of the fivefold

here. Let's just be honest for a second I've

been honest. I feel like dr. Graves right now.

I'm being honest, but Let's just talk about something

And maybe you're not even aware of this, because

we don't really talk about apostles a lot in

our circle, but there's been abuse of that. And

there are people who go around, many times they've

kind of appointed themselves as that. They've

given themselves that title. They'll be like,

you know, I'm apostle so -and -so. Well, that's

awesome. That's amazing. And then when they start

giving themselves titles, then anyone who wants

to challenge them on anything, they get pretty

defensive pretty quick and be like, who do you

think you are? I'm apostle so and so. And that's

just clearly abuse. That's not what God intended.

It's not about titles. It's not about wearing

that title or grabbing power. It's about laying

down your life to extend the gospel. So this

morning I want to wrap up by helping us to identify

if God might be calling you to be an apostle.

There are 10 key indicators. So I'll try to make

sure that you know that I'm moving on to the

next one. So there are 10 things I want you to

look at. If you're like, yes, that's me, I want

you to give yourself one point. I'm gonna we'll

talk about that in a second. Okay, ten indicators

and I want you to say okay. Yes, that's me Because

I also want you to know maybe if God's calling

you to be an apostle So here's the first one

you place mission over maintenance You place

mission over maintenance now Before I go any

further with that We talked about this last week

if you're an apostle you probably will you probably

bristle at this a little bit because you'll say

yes Mission is more important than maintenance

because we assume that everyone's wired like

we are right. We talked about that It's the false

consensus effect and if you're wired as an apostle

you probably it'll probably rub you the wrong

way just to even talk about maintenance because

you'll say there'll be something inside of you

that says yes Yes, we don't need to maintain

anything. It all should be about mission. And

if we lose everything that we have for the sake

of mission, then that's fine because that's what

matters most. And I would just say that you sound

like an apostle. But outside of that, which one

of those is most important, mission or maintenance?

Again, duh, are you listening to me? Neither

one's more important, right? We need both, but

I just want you to understand that if you're

an apostle, you're probably like, you know, we

don't need to worry about maintenance at all.

That's fine. God's wired you that way, but we

do need maintenance. We do need the people who

are the tip of the spear, who are moving the

kingdom forward, who are helping us to gain new

territory. We need that, but we also need people

who come behind and care for the people who are

part of it. Because if we don't care for the

people who are a part of it, We don't have a

tip of the spear and The people who are the tip

of the spear can't be the tip of the spear Because

they don't have the support of the body Right,

so you you value mission over maintenance Apostles

work alongside prophets evangelists pastors and

teachers apostolic Culture is outward -facing.

It prioritizes reaching the unreached, planting

new works, sending people on mission. Matthew

28, 19, go and make disciples of the nations.

If you're an apostle, you hear verses like that

and you're like, yes, yes, that's what I'm talking

about. That's awesome. That's absolutely awesome.

But it just might mean that you're an apostle.

So if you value mission, Over maintenance like

if you would say to me, you know what? Listen,

the church is not the building the building can

burn down and The church will still move forward

That's fine. I hear you. There's nothing wrong

with that But you might be an apostle And what

I want you to hear is there's nothing wrong with

the people who say no the church does matter

and Us being a lighthouse in this community does

matter And we do need to honor that. And this

is what Jesus wants us to use to reach the world.

Both are right. We're not in competition with

one another. But if you're like, yeah, burn the

church down and the church will still be fine,

you might be an apostle. Does that make sense?

Second one. You might be an apostle if you stand

upon biblical authority and truth. apostolic

leaders anchor ministry in the Word of God scripture

is the plumb line for doctrine practice and discernment

so here's what I want you to see you might be

an apostle if there's just something inside of

you that you're like no I'm gonna base everything

I do on the Word of God I'm not gonna believe

it I'm not gonna practice it it's not gonna be

part of my life if it doesn't line up with the

Word of God if that's you that's awesome you

might be an apostle That's all good. Acts 2 42,

they devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching.

There's this commitment to what does the Word

of God say? You might be an apostle. Number three,

you might be an apostle if you want multiplication

and not just addition. You might be an apostle.

So the goal for you for Apostles the goal isn't

just gathering but reproducing So you want to

see disciples who make disciples churches who

plant churches leaders who raise up other leaders

So if you are the kind who's like, okay. Yeah,

that's awesome I'm glad that we're reaching people

for Jesus, but But I think that every person

who's reaching somebody for Jesus should then

immediately turn around and reach somebody else

for Jesus. And why isn't our church a part of

planting another church? Because we should be.

There's still people who need to be reached.

And why aren't we doing that? Why aren't we partnering

with that? And if you measure leaders, like,

okay, like our pastor's a fine guy. He tells

great jokes. He's ruggedly handsome, but I want

to know how is he investing in other pastors?

How is he raising up other leaders? What's he

doing so that the next generation of the church

exists? What's he doing in that regard? All of

those things are great, but if that's what burns

inside of you, you might be an apostle. Number

four, you might be an apostle if you long to

see empowered discipleship. You might be an apostle

if you long to see empowered discipleship. Everyone

has a role. Apostolic culture requires believers

to live out their calling, not just to consume

religious services. So, like, you wouldn't say

this because we love Jesus, right? You wouldn't

come out and say it. But you might be an apostle

if you come to church and you'd be like, you

know what? I'll tell you what drives me nuts

is I come and I worship with these people and

I love them. They're important to me. They're

significant to me. But I just feel like we're

so consumeristic. And like people come and they

do their time in church and they feel better,

but they don't do a thing with that. They're

not telling anybody about it outside of the church.

They're not being an example to anybody. They're

not sharing their resources with anybody. They're

not giving a cup of cold water in Jesus' name.

And I get frustrated with that. Hey, God wired

you that way, but guess what that means? You

might be an apostle. You might be an apostle.

So apostolic, the cry of the apostolic heart

I think is best described in the prayer of Jabez.

I think this is the prayer that just resonates

with every apostle. So among the fivefold apostles,

apostolic leaders, are the first to grow restless

with the status quo. And that isn't rebellion.

It's actually vision. Are you following me? So

apostles, if you're an apostle, you're probably

not vibing with the status quo. You always want

to be moving forward. You want to be doing something

different. And it's not rebellion, it's vision.

It's really the cry of Jabez. This is found in

First Chronicles 410. Oh, that you would bless

me and enlarge my territory. And I understand

the apostolic wasn't fully revealed until the

New Testament, but this is the heartbeat. to

expand the kingdom at all costs, to start new

works, to break new ground. Instead of silencing

that impulse, what would happen if we blessed

it? And what would happen if we prayed that it

would become contagious? So if we have people

in our church and they're just never satisfied

with the status quo, like we get to a point where

we're good and things are good and they're never

happy with that. They're just like, well, that's

awesome, but let's get on to the next thing.

There's still people to be reached. Well, you

might be an apostle. There's nothing wrong with

that. So, I want to give you this. I want to

take this from concept and I want to throw it

right in your face this morning. Okay? Can I

do that? Do I have your permission just for a

second? Because I don't want this just to be

concept. But I want to throw it right in your

face. And I'm going to throw it in your face

because if you're an apostle, this is going to

rub you the wrong way. It's gonna make you uncomfortable

now if you're not an apostle this might not get

you fired up But if you're an apostle There's

a good chance that after service you're gonna

want to come up to me and talk to me about this

Is that alright if I do it if you're watching

in Facebook land or on YouTube land? Drop me

a comment about this. So here it is. Here's a

little graphic I put together just to throw it

take it from concept and throw it right in your

face So it's the one with the four boxes on it

I think the one's orange, green, yeah, this one.

Okay. I'm gonna take it from concept. I'm gonna

throw it right in your face. So this is a good

test for me to see if you're an apostle. So this,

and actually I wish that I had never done the

research. Because it's troubling to me. It really

is. I'm gonna preface what I'm about to say.

I'm gonna give you one thing of preface. And

you can, if you want, you can fact check me on

this. You can ask Danita, she'll tell you this.

For 20 years, at least 20 years, I have been

saying, why in the world are we not planting

a church in Parma? Did you know that Parma, per

capita, at least 10 years ago, it might still

be, but at least 10 years ago, was the largest

suburb in the nation. At least 10 years ago.

It could still be current, but 10 years ago,

at least, it was the largest suburb in the nation.

And there's not a Nazarene church anywhere to

be found. So, again, I just want to take this

from concept, throw it right in your face. And

if you're an apostle, it's going to do something.

And you're going to be like, thanks, Phil. You

just made us really uncomfortable. So this is

evangelical churches per capita. So let me kind

of flesh that out just a little bit. What do

I mean by that? So what I mean by evangelical

church per capita is this. I'm talking about

any church that teaches that Jesus is the way,

the truth, and the life, that no one comes to

the Father except through him. That's what I'm

talking about. that they stand upon that and

they'll die by that. That Jesus is the way, the

truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father

except through him. So like, if it's Jesus plus,

that's not an evangelical church. There is nothing

else other than Jesus. It's okay to say amen

there. By the way, we're an evangelical church.

So let me make sure that we're clear. There's

no way to come to the Father except through Jesus.

He's the way, the truth, and the life. There

isn't a plan B. There's not a plan B. This isn't

multiple choice. This isn't a smorgasbord. You

can't take Jesus and a little bit of this and

a little bit of that and expect to get to heaven.

It's Jesus and Jesus only. That's what I mean

by evangelical church. So per capita, let's start

with North Royalton, shall we? It's a good place

to start in North Royalton. There is one evangelical

church for every 5150 people. Think about that.

There's one church that will gladly say Jesus

is the way, the truth and the life. There's no

way to come to the father except through him.

There's one church doing that for every 5150

people. So let's go over to Strongsville, shall

we? By the way, we're planting a church in Strongsville.

We're planting a church in Strongsville. So in

Strongsville, there's one evangelical church

for every 5 ,721 people. Not quite as good as

North Royalton. We're doing a little bit better

in North Royalton, but still relatively close,

right? So we're planting a church. So that number

will be skewed. So now it'll be probably... that'll

probably be under, it'll be under 5 ,000 now.

It'll be in the 4 ,000s now because we're planting

another evangelical church. Let's look at independence

for a second. Independence, there's one, now

this one's strange to me, but this is, it is

what it is. So in independence, there's one evangelical

church for every 1 ,880 people. There's one church

in independence. who says that Jesus is the way,

truth, and the life for every 1 ,880 people in

Independence. So if you're an apostle, you look

at that and say, where's the last place we need

to plant a church? Independence. Right? Are you

ready for one? Let's talk about Parma. I should

have done this if the number wasn't up there.

I should have done it that way so I could say,

okay, are there any guesses? What do you think

it is in Parma? So I'll tell you what it is.

In North Royalton, it's every 5 ,150 people.

There's one church for every 5 ,000 people. What

if we had a tithe on that? So that means that

in our community, we're responsible for 5 ,150

people. So what if we had just a tithe on that?

That would still mean that 90 % of our community

is going to hell without Jesus. So in Parma,

does anybody want to guess? Oh, you don't have

to guess. It's up there on the screen. So in

North Royalton, it's 5 ,150 people. In Parma,

it's 9 ,919 people. There's one church saying

that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

that the only way you're going to get to heaven

is through Jesus. There's one church for every

10 ,000 people in Parma. So where should we plant

a church? Parma. Why? Because there are 10 ,000

people who are counting on that one church. to

tell them the truth about Jesus. So, I wish I

never did that research because I'm telling you,

there's enough apostle in me that rubs me the

wrong way. And maybe it rubs you the wrong way

too. If that rubs you the wrong way, you might

be an apostle. You need to ask me that question

later. That's a great question. So you might

be, if that, if you're like, man, I wish you

never showed me that, then you might be an apostle.

You also might be an apostle if you've learned

the balance, spiritual authority with humility.

Apostolic leaders walk in spiritual authority

because they've been given that by God, right?

They've been given authority. They have a message

and authority. They've been given that by God.

Not because the church, not because a board.

because God gave them that authority. They have

authority, but they serve with humility. And

I think that maybe this is the most important

of all of them. So apostles, of course we want

them to walk in authority. We want them to walk

into a community and say, you know what, the

Lord has put me here on purpose. He knew what

he's doing. And we don't want them to be cowards.

We want them to lead courageously, right? But

we also want them to serve with humility. We

don't want people walking around being like,

you know what? I just showed up. I'm the Apostle.

No, you missed it Bozo. No, you're a clown. Because

yes, that's true. But Apostles have learned to

balance that with a basin and towel. And they're

quick just to say, you know what? How can I serve

best? You might be Apostle if you've learned

that balance. First Corinthians 4 one there servants

of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God

You might be an apostle if you operate in prayer

and the power of the spirit apostolic culture

depends on the Holy Spirit for direction empowerment

and fruitfulness hard stop It doesn't rely on

you having the best tips and tricks If we're

going to reach Parma, it's not because we find

somebody who knows all the best ways of getting

stuff done. If we're going to reach Parma, I'll

tell you why it is. Because the Spirit of God

has directed and empowered and given us what

we need. If we're going to ever reach North Royalton

or Strongsville or Independence, it's not because

we found the right person with the right mojo.

It's because the Spirit of God empowered and

directed and provided Acts 13 2 through 3 says

this while they were worshiping and fasting the

spirit said It's so important. So when we're

talking about apostles So like if we want to

see God move the way that we see God move is

we get on our face It's not that we work harder

at it that we put in more hours that has nothing

to do with it whatsoever In fact, I think that

that would probably keep the spirit from being

poured out. But when we get on our face and we

fast and we pray and we allow God to work, that's

when the spirit shows up and begins to speak.

You might be an apostle if all that matters is

kingdom advancement over church competition.

Apostolic culture seeks to advance God's kingdom,

not build personal empires or brand loyalty.

Do you know what I mean by that? Here's what

I mean. Who cares if the sign out front says

Church of the Nazarene? Who cares? If there's

somebody who's saying that Jesus is the way,

the truth, and the life, there's no way to come

to the Father except through him, why can't we

get behind it and celebrate it, regardless of

the sign that's out front? Why are we so concerned

about brand loyalty when we should be concerned

about kingdom? Just one verse. Matthew 6 33,

seek first the kingdom of God and all these things

will be added unto you. We want to focus on all

the other things. All we really need to focus

on is seeking him first and he'll take care of

the rest. Next one, see suffering as normal.

He might be an apostle if you see suffering as

normal, not exceptional. Apostolic ministry embraces

suffering as part of the call, not as a sign

of failure. What do I mean? If you're called

to be an apostle, you're going to suffer. Yay,

Jesus. The Apostle Paul, did he suffer? He sure

did. Did Junia suffer? She sure did. You can't

be an apostle and not suffer. So apostles just

understand, hey, you know what? It's just normal.

I'm not exceptional. I'm not a failure. It's

just part of what God's called me to do. You

might be an apostle if you maintain a global

perspective. Apostolic vision goes beyond local

impact. to a global reach, thinking beyond my

church to his kingdom. X1 -8, you'll be my witnesses

in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, to the ends

of the earth, that all of that matters. Last

one. You might be an apostle if you prioritize

team -based leadership. Apostolic culture functions

through collaboration with teams, not solo leaders.

So, like, what if you're a one -man band? Like,

what if you're like, you know what, I've got

all of this figured out. I really am God's gift

to the church. I'm not. I'm speaking as if I

was this person. I've got this all figured out.

I'm really God's gift to the church. Like, all

the local church really needs is me. You know,

if I'm here, I mean, hey, things are looking

up. Well, then what are you if you're that? You're

an idiot. That's what you are. But you're certainly

not an apostle. Because apostles understand that

we need everybody. And I need to do what he's

called me to do. And you need to do what God's

called you to do. And that's the only way we

move the needle. Is if we all do what God's called

us to do. It's not a solo thing at all, but we

work together as a team. We need apostles working

with prophets, and we need prophets working with

an evangelist, and we need evangelists working

with pastors, and we need pastors who work with

teachers. He gave some to be apostles. He gave

some to be prophets. He gave some to be evangelists.

He gave some to be pastors. He gave some to be

teachers. And he did all of that for the building

up of the body of Christ. And we all work together.

I'm not in competition with anybody else. I don't

want them to be like me. Let's face it, one of

me is more than enough. But when I'm me, and

you're you, and we do what we can to move the

kingdom forward, we become unstoppable. So Just

how many of you scored six or above you got one

point for every one of those I gave you ten of

them How many of you scored six or above? Did

you keep score of all of them? Six or above anybody

You have five five anybody five Also, if you're

watching in Facebook land or YouTube, let me

know how you scored too. So here's the thing.

If you scored five, you at least need to consider

that maybe that's part of what the Lord's up

to. So like if you're watching in Facebook land

and you're like seven, eight, nine, let's just

put it like this. If it looks like a duck and

quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck anyways.

Let me know how you scored, I would love to know.

So if you scored five, we'll go with five, here's

your assignment. Anybody else at five? Deena,

what was your score? Three? Alright, so Adele,

here's your assignment. And anybody watching

in Facebook land, but Adele, here's your assignment.

And this is just to kind of flesh out whether

this might be something the Lord's talking to

you about. Map out how your ministry could embody

apostolic culture. That's the first thing. What

does it look like if our ministry embodied apostolic

culture? The second thing is develop a plan to

mentor emerging apostolic leaders. So what you

just said is so vitally important. I don't want

to be alone, right? So what does it look like

for us to say, okay, as new apostolic leaders

emerge, How do we train them? How do we equip

them? That's the second part of your assignment.

Third part of your assignment is chart communities

or regions your ministry could impact apostolically.

I think I already did that. And I think, at least

for right now, the answer to that is a quarter

mile away. The last thing is your assignment.

You don't have to do this. We're going to do

this for you. So we're going to pray with Adele

in a little bit. Anybody else on Facebook, I'll

do this myself and I'll follow up as well. But

we're going to pray for her. And it's not that

this is, but we're just going to kind of explore

that, right? That's what we're going to do. And

we're going to pray for her and commission her.

and just pray that God would help her to take

next steps in what it looks like to be an apostolic

leader. So, I want to close with a little bit

of a story to kind of take all of this and give

you an example, to kind of give you flesh and

blood of what I'm talking about. Somebody who,

super important to me, and I don't know that

I would always put this individual in this category,

but certainly this is really what he is. And

when I realized that, it helped some things get

cleared up in my own head. Many of you will recognize

the name Phil Batten, right? He was like a second

dad to me. So Phil Batten, he had a burden for

a hurting city and he didn't just see problems,

but he saw potential. He began to see what God

could do and what would happen if he was faithful.

So he did not wait for the loss to come to his

church. At this time he was pastoring in Willow

Lake. He was the pastor there and he started

to have a major burden for the city of Cleveland,

specifically the central projects in Cleveland.

and so his first step was he would take volunteers

from the church and they would go in on every

Saturday and they started to try to let people

know that they were going to come around they

would have like Bible study sort of things and

he took volunteers and they bought a not really

a bus but like a truck kind of vehicle that they

were able to do services in they quickly outgrew

that and and here's the thing that I want you

to see so he's pastoring in Willow Lake And it's

a traditional congregation. He had stability,

he had structure, but God was calling him to

something riskier, something more raw, to give

himself fully to a ministry among the poor and

the forgotten in the central projects of Cleveland.

And he did something apostolic. He left a pulpit

where he had security and stability, and he planted

a movement. The movement became Heaven Train,

a mobile church on wheels that brought the gospel

to the streets. Heaven Train wasn't a strategy,

it was a calling. It was a bus, yes, but it was

more than that. It was a vision of the kingdom

breaking in where it was needed the most. Phil

Batten did not just preach from platforms. He

was a phenomenal preacher from platforms, by

the way. I used to love hearing him speak. He

wasn't just preaching from platforms, he was

preaching from sidewalks. in the middle of what

at the time was the toughest place in the city

of Cleveland. And he paid an ultimate price for

that. See, so remember, we're talking about the

fact that if you're in apostolic ministry, suffering's

not exceptional. It's just part of the deal.

And you all know this, so he came in one Saturday

and he was gonna preach on the resurrection of

Jesus. And not everyone gets happy about that.

I mean, we should. I mean, it's the... The greatest

story ever told, and we should get really happy

about it, but not everyone's happy to hear about

the resurrection of Jesus. So he came into Cleveland

and preached his heart out about the resurrection

of Jesus. And some people who did not share our

faith, they were pretty opposed to our faith

specifically about the resurrection of Jesus.

They came and they said, hey listen, you need

to shut up old man. Don't come in here talking

about that stuff. This is our neighborhood. Don't

you disrespect us like that. You can talk about

Jesus. You can say that, you know, say everything

that you want. He was a good guy. You can even

say that he was a prophet. We're fine with all

of that. Say whatever you want about that. But

you've got to stop this resurrection of Jesus

stuff. So it feels like I'll take that on advisement.

And you know what we did the following Saturday?

He came back with double the fire in his belly

and preached the resurrection of Jesus. And they

put arsenic in his drink. Because they said,

we told you, you've got to stop doing that. Don't

come in here preaching that stuff. So they put

arsenic in his drink. God's spirit is life, obviously,

but he had problems from that time on. So he

came back the following Saturday. Kind of with

this message You thought that was gonna stop

me You'll have to do better next time Because

that's the resurrection of Jesus. That's the

power that raises Jesus from the dead now It's

living inside of me and continue to preach the

same fire about the resurrection of Jesus You

all know this heaven train didn't just stay in

the city of Cleveland the Lord used Philbatten

apostolically to plant heaven -train type ministries

all over the world, not just the nation. There

are ministries like that in Atlanta, there are

ministries like that in Kansas City, there are

ministries like that in Nashville, there are

ministries like that in Mexico, Mexico City specifically,

and the Lord allowed him to plant heaven -train

type ministries in Russia. All over Central America,

South America, there are church type Ministries

like heaven train all over the world so That's

what Apostles do they don't just hold titles

they carry burdens They don't preserve what is

they pioneer what could be they preach? Resurrection

in the face of death and they come back and do

it all over again And when somebody tries to

poison them to shut up they come back and do

it all over again So when somebody asks you do

we need Apostles today? Point to people like

Reverend Phil Batten point to a bus point to

the central projects point to the resurrection

That still echoes in the streets and then maybe

just maybe Point to the stirring in your own

heart because God is still sending Apostles men

and women sent with a message and with authority

Is it possible that God's calling you to apostolic

work? You've been looking for a pulpit when he's

been pointing you to a neighborhood So the question

for all of us is, where might God be sending

you? Where might he be sending you? So Adele

was the only one who scored five, is that correct?

At least in -house. There might be somebody who's

watching and we'll follow up with that as well.

So Adele, if we could, with your permission,

I would just like to have some people gather

around with you and just pray that. If this is

what the Lord has for you, that he'd make it

clear and that we would support you well as you

help us to live in apostolic community, in an

apostolic culture. Is that fair? Alright. Especially

those who are close. You just became Adele's

prayer team, so I want you to gather around her

and pray for her. Pray for others. Do we need

Apostles today? Yeah. Does God call women to

be Apostles? Well, he sure seemed to in the Bible.

He sure seems to today, so. How many of us are

glad for that? Let's pray together. Father, we

thank you for today. We thank you for the time

we've had to be gathered here. We thank you for

the gifts that you've given to the church and

apostles and prophets and evangelists and teachers.

We give you thanks for all of them. We need all

of them. Lord, specifically today, we're talking

about apostles and we give you thanks that you're

still in the business of calling people to be

apostles, that you're sending people out with

a message and with authority. And Lord, I don't

know all that's going on. I don't know what you're

calling Adele to, but if that's what it is, I

pray that you make it crystal clear to her. And

all those who might be watching online as well,

I pray that you'd speak to their hearts, that

you would encourage them, that you would give

them a crystal clear message, that you would

help them to know that this is what I'm sending

you forth to proclaim. And Lord, I also pray

that you'd give Adele and those like her authority.

Lord, remind all of them, remind Adele today

that she's precious to you. Allow her to hear

again that this is my girl. With you I'm well

pleased. And I pray that you give her courage

and everyone like her to be the tip of the spear

to help the church move into communities and

neighborhoods where you're needed most. Lord

help us to do our part to support and encourage

Just to say we're with you Let's go move the

kingdom forward no matter what We give you thanks

for all of this we ask it all in the strong and

powerful name of Jesus and everyone said