Apostolic Power for Signs & Wonders in the Church
By Ryan LeStrange
The apostolic is bringing signs, wonders and miracles back to the local church.
As the apostolic revolution marches forward, the Church is being changed. Its very foundation is being reexamined. God is taking us back to His original blueprint.
This move of God is nothing new but rather a return to the principles that launched the early Church. With this reformation also comes persecution. Indeed, today we are experiencing ridicule and criticism much as the emerging apostles did in the Book of Acts. Many people not only fail to understand what we are doing, they seem determined to undermine God’s purposes.
An apostolic ministry is called to be a place of power. We can invade the crack houses and the hospitals with the delivering and healing anointing of almighty God. We are not called to use the religious church philosophy and methods but rather to build, guide and govern by the Spirit.
Religion has successfully robbed the Church of her position of power and dominion in the earth. This spirit rails against any move of God. The religious spirit doesn’t mind you and I attending church as long as there is no power or passion in the church that we attend. In fact, religious spirits love going to church. They love dead dry services, meaningless messages and dominating deacon boards!
Not only that, but religious spirits are determined to build the Church in America upon wrong foundations. The religious spirit has inspired entire books on how to pioneer lukewarm churches based on programs rather than true power. Religious churches operate on a very natural philosophy. They use humanistic principles instead of Spirit-based foundations. There are three primary means of church growth and establishment according to the religious church.
The first is programs. Tools to satisfy the desires of people. Religious churches will brag about having the greatest programs in town. Yet there is little to no conversation about the power of the Spirit being manifest.
The second humanistic principle religion touts is politics. The people who are searching for a religious church usually want a title and a position. The good news for the religious church leader is that they are willing to pay for it. If you give them a front-row seat, they will contribute to the building fund. The bad news is that later you will have to pay for it with more compromise!
The third humanistic principle religion clings to is preferences. The leaders of the religious church pride themselves on being preference-oriented. They will boldly tell you that they did not build their church on the move of the Spirit but rather on the preferences of men. In other words, they found out exactly what people wanted and delivered it to them at any cost.
An apostolic church is called to provide a stark contrast to the religious church. Many apostolic leaders are asking, “How can we grow our churches?” I believe the answer is found in the Book of Acts along with the new apostolic church model. What was the reputation of the early apostles? “And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also” (Acts 17:6).
The apostles were noted for the tangible presence of God that could change a city, state or nation. Everywhere they went the glory of God was upon them. One of the marks of an early Church apostle was the intense power of God upon their ministry. The five-fold gift of apostle is a revivalist, one who challenges demon powers through the move of God. The power of God and flowing in the miraculous are qualifying marks of an apostle’s ministry. Apostles differ from the evangelists because they are also anointed to lead and govern churches.
As the early Church apostles traveled from place to place establishing local churches, they persuaded the people through the supernatural and the Word of God. The Word and the Spirit were working hand in hand. “Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands” (Acts 14:3).
The foundation of the early Church was built upon a powerful move of God. The very first service was a Spirit-inspired evangelism rally in which over 3,000 new converts came to the Lord. As the Apostolic Church continued, Paul and his teams transformed entire regions. Phillip, the evangelist, had one revival in which an entire city was changed.
“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:5-8 ).
Imagine the atmosphere of that revival. The power of God was so strong that the city was swept up in revival. What if Los Angeles or Miami was brought into revival? Millions of lives would be changed. This revival took place because Phillip and the apostles were not scared of the religious spirit. The Bible says that the people were convinced by what they heard and saw. Miracles, healings, and dramatic deliverances were at the forefront of Phillip’s revival.
If we are going to grow our churches we are going to have to embrace the move of God. Apostolic churches must not build through natural means but by spiritual power. Our primary tool is the supernatural. I recently had lunch with the pastor of the largest charismatic church in France. He told me that his church was primarily built through the Word and miracles. When blind people start getting healed on Sunday mornings our churches will be full!
There are several components to supernatural church growth: miracles, worship and the gifts of the Spirit, the presence of God and signs and wonders.
Miracles
When the deaf hear and the blind see even the hardest heart can be transformed.
Worship
For every move of God there is a God-inspired realm of worship where His glory comes and begins inhabiting the praises of His people. Out of the apostolic move shall come new songs along with worship tools and strategies. The religious church is stripping true worship out of Sunday mornings. The apostolic church must keep worship at the forefront.
The gifts of the Spirit
It still amazes me how one Word from the mind of God changes people. If every leader would open their heart to the Father and make themselves available to be used in the gifts, the Church would be a dynamic place of spiritual renewal. Why is the world flocking to the psychics? They are looking for direction. True direction comes from the mind and heart of God. When the Church rises up and manifests the gifts of the Holy Ghost, the hungry will come running.
The presence of God
I am sad to say that I have sat in many services where the glory of God was not present. People were impressed by the eloquent sermon or the professional programming but there was no touch of God. People can and will be dramatically changed when they are brought into the presence of God. Our churches should be blanketed in prayer, worship and love, so that when the hurting come, they step into an atmosphere of power.
Signs and wonders
Much has been said about this operation of the Spirit. Simply put, signs and wonders are mighty acts of God that draw people closer to Him. They are divine releases of His power that destroy the yoke of the enemy and liberate the captive. They can also be categorized as God interrupting normal life. These miracles are to follow the believers, not the believers following them. They are a tool to bring the lost home. We must be careful not to be drawn aside by spectacular displays of familiar spirits that are sent to draw us away from the Father. True signs and wonders will lead us closer to Him! The hurting and broken people living in your city must be reached with the life-changing Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. You and I must not compromise. We cannot bow to religion or politics. We must preach the Gospel of the Kingdom.
“Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where” (Luke 9:1-6).
In order to truly preach the Gospel of the Kingdom we must not only speak but also demonstrate. Heal the sick, raise the dead, and cure the leper! God is knitting the hearts of the hungry saints with fiery leaders who want to see revival sweep their city.
The power of God must be at the forefront of this new apostolic church reformation. We cannot return to the government and strategies of the Book of Acts without accessing the power that was displayed in the early Church. As the five-fold ministry arises so shall a fresh anointing upon the Body. The world is longing for powerful spiritual leadership. Let’s quit talking about the Church and simply start being the Church.
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Sun Nov 09, 2008 7:51 am