Principalities and powers are demonic governing forces waging war against Christ, His dominion, and His kingdom advancement. Battling against rebel kingdoms and the teachings of their leaders requires you to embrace the apostolic anointing. We are in a war for dominion, kingdom against kingdom, culture against culture, values against values, truth against lies, and light against darkness. Society needs the truth that lights the way out of darkness and chaos. This is why you need an apostolic anointing.
Preachers take an active role in representing and advancing the culture and values of the Kingdom of God. A preacher is a Kerux. Let’s discuss the ministry of God’s battling Kerux. A Kerux is an official representative of a king. After the resurrection, Christ used apostles and apostolic anointing to pioneer His governing churches. New Testament churches were all apostolic. For me, there are three words that best describe the apostolic anointing: build, restore and govern. We could add “sent” to that as well. To be apostolic (Apostolos) means to be sent. Christ was sent, the Holy Ghost was sent and you will be sent.
You already know the Apostle Paul said he was called an apostle by the will of God alone. He also described himself as a wise “master builder.”
“According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” (1 Corinthians 3:10)
Here again, the apostolic anointing carries a building grace. “Masterbuilder” is the Greek word Architekten. This is where we get the English word architect. An architect meets with the property owner to review a building’s design. Afterwards, the architect draws the plans and oversees the building process making sure the building matches the owner’s desire.
The grace of an apostle is resident within apostolic churches. Apostolic churches consist of all five ascension gifts working together to equip and empower believers to do what they individually and corporately are called to do with their lives and ministries. The apostolic church has a “set man” which is an apostle but has within the ministry the other four ascension ministry gifts. All of these will help you enter the ministry of a crux. Let’s take a look.
APOSTLE AND PREACHER
Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles. He also described his calling as apostle and preacher. “Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles” (2 Timothy 1:11). We have already given you some insight into the apostles anointing but let’s look closer at the word preacher. The word “preacher” in Greek is the crux.
The verb to preach is Caruso. We all have an image of what a preacher is and what he should be doing. To some, a preacher is a full-time pastor, seminary graduate, counsellor or someone hired to meet the congregation’s needs, visit the sick and take care of widows and orphans. Preachers may do some of these things, but the word “preach” is very different.
All of this means that most of the time our images of the word preach is flawed or incomplete. For example, you may think a preacher stands in front of great crowds in a white suite having a healing crusade. In one sense, that is something a preacher might do but in the fullest sense, it is not what a preacher is. To preach, Caruso is an action word that means to take an active role in representing and advancing the culture and values of a kingdom. Don’t miss this definition because it will change the way you look like your church, life, and ministry.
SATRAPS
The Greeks used the term crux. To them, a Kerux was an official representative of a king. If a king wanted to invade a city he would send his official Kerux to inform the city of his expectations. So in a sense, a crux was apostolic because he was “a sent one”, sent by the king to convey the wishes, laws, values and culture of a kingdom. Without the ministry of a Kingdom Kerux, people couldn't understand how to transition their lives and society to match the wishes of their new king.
Persian kings also had official kingdom representatives. These representatives governed territories through a system of provincial organizations headed by chief administrators, ambassadors, and governors called satraps. Like a Kerux a Satrap was a powerful figure that represented a king and promoted kingdom laws, culture, and values. These satraps would not only herald their king’s desires, but kings would govern their new kingdoms through them. The bottom line is both Kerux and Satrap were kingdom representatives.
VICTORY OVER CHAOS AND CRISES
It’s interesting to read the ministry of a Kerux and Satrap as official representatives of a kingdom. Scripture says that you are to preach and teach the gospel to all nations. We call this the Great Commission. I have been told that ninety-five per cent of Christians cannot tell you what the Great Commission is. No wonder the world is suffering from chaos and crises. Here is the expectation of our King to his Kingdom representatives.
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and the earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach (Caruso) the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)
Notice the word preach (Caruso) and the assignment to the disciples (kerux) was to “teach all nations.” Preaching the gospel of the kingdom is not only preaching the cross it is representing the Kingdom of God culture and values. Yes, of course, what Jesus did on the cross of Calvary atoning for the sins of mankind is vital. And, yes, of course, we need to confess our sins and believe that God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day. In this essay, I am not taking anything away from the truth of the doctrine of salvation through repentance of sin and the blood of Christ. So now with that cleared up let’s make sure we understand what Paul wrote when he said he was an apostle and preacher.
Again, a Kerux is a representative of a kingdom. As a born again believer, you have been translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God. You were once separated from God and dead in trespasses and sin. Through repentance and salvation by faith in the Son of God and His shed blood you were redeemed and entered the Kingdom of God. Notice that you didn’t leave the earth when you got saved. You are still here. The difference is that now the Kingdom of God is within you. Now you are a citizen of Zion with benefits and responsibility. In other words, God has some expectations of you.
REPRESENTING THE KINGDOM OF GOD
We all love to hear about the benefits of our salvation but our responsibilities are another matter. Permit me to be a little shocking on purpose. Christ did not save you so that you could escape this world. Before Jesus went to the cross he had this conversation with the Father.
“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so, have I also sent them into the world” (John 17:15-18).
Christ didn’t ask the Father to take you out of the world but to keep you from evil and to send you into the world. You can see the sending apostolic nature in the conversation. Then again after the resurrection, Jesus confirmed the same thing saying to his disciples, “Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me even so send I you. And when he had said this he breathed on them and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost” (John 20:21-22).
Both these scriptures refer to “sent ones”. To be sent is an apostolic term validating the apostolic nature of your Kingdom citizenship. But what is your mission? Get people saved? Yes. But that’s not all. Your mission is to represent your King and advance His kingdom. You are a Kingdom of God kerux.
We are in a war for dominion, kingdom against kingdom, culture against culture, values against values, truth against lies, and light against darkness. Society needs truth that lights the way out of darkness and chaos. This is why Jesus taught that you are salt, light and a city set on a hill.
To represent the Kingdom of God as a Kingdom Kerux means you need to know something about your God, His kingdom, culture, values, laws and expectations. First of all the Kingdom of God is not on the other side of Pluto. It’s not out there, over yonder, coming someday in the sweet by and by. No, the Kingdom of God has already come and it is in you. Jesus announced its arrival and said it was within our reach and we need to change the way we think about it. Scripture says, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
So now that you know that Christ gave us five different ascension gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip you for the work of ministry you can be about representing Christ’s kingdom, word, culture, laws, values and expectations. His kingdom comes and He will be done on earth just as it is in heaven. |
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