Rob Rufus on True Marks of Apostolic Ministry

"Apostles will safeguard the Church against legalism, denominationalism, popery and institutionalism.  If they're not safeguarding the Church, they're not operating as apostles".


Rob Rufus - "The 10 Ugly Faces of the Grace-Hating Spirit" - from "Living Grace" (2012) - New Nature Publications, Hong Kong

Rob Rufus on Apostles Safeguarding Ministry

"I believe the Church is not being safeguarded because of the absence of authentic apostolic ministry in the earth.  There are many apostles around, but I guarantee you that all that calls itself apostolic, is not.  The credentials of an apostle; signs, wonders and miracles should be a major part of their life and ministry.  If that's not a major thrust of their life - they might be an apostle but they are not operating in their gifts.  Wherever apostles go, churches will be planted".


Rob Rufus - "The 10 Ugly Faces of the Grace-Hating Spirit" - from "Living Grace" (2012) - New Nature Publications, Hong Kong.

Dave Harvey on Apostles Today

An interesting quote from the acting President of SGM on apostles today;

"That is one reason why we have refrained from using the term "apostle" for those who serve as Sovereign Grace Ministries regional representatives to our churches - see, as our understanding of polity has matured, we have become cautious of conveying any type of authority to SGM leaders that no one has today - an authority that is reserved for the first generation apostles. See - authority is never in a man, it's in the Word of God".

Dave Harvey - "Answering Your Questions" - SGM Blog - August 28th 2011.

Terry Virgo on the Vital Need for ALL Ephesians 4 Ministries

"The Lord Jesus ascended on high and gave gifts to men. He appointed apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. If the church is to arrive at full maturity, become a functioning body and fulfil its glorious destiny, it must derive the benefit that comes from embracing all of these promised ministries. Without them we inevitably fail to benefit from all that was in God’s heart in making provision of them".

Terry Virgo - "Fathering Leaders - Motivating Mission" - Terry Virgo's Blog - June 21st 2011

Terry Virgo on Apostles Laying Foundations

"Clearly the planting of churches was foundational to the task of world mission, and apostles played a very significant part in that process. They presented a clear body of doctrine centred in the coming of Christ, his life, death, resurrection and ascension, and the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which led to the formation of an international people of God".

Terry Virgo - "Fathering Churches - Motivating Missions" - Terry Virgo's Blog - June 21st 2011

Terry Virgo on the Myth that Apostles Must Write Scripture

"The frequently held view that apostles functioned only in the first century and that their primary task was the writing of the New Testament Scriptures. Of the original Twelve only three made any contribution to the New Testament while Luke, who was never regarded as an apostle, wrote more of the New Testament than any other.

While the stance that apostles were essentially Scripture-writers has been maintained the vital work of an apostle as described in the New Testament has been almost entirely overlooked. Paul writing to the Corinthian church said that as a wise master builder he had laid a foundation in that particular church. As an apostle he had a task which was related to the formation of local churches".

Terry Virgo - "Fathering Leaders - Motivating Mission" - Terry Virgo's Blog - June 21st 2011

Philip Greenslade on Ephesians 4 Ministries

"Without the prophet, the church becomes a spiritless organisation in which even apostolic work hardens into a new form of religious bureaucrac, and without the prophetic thrust - the teaching ministry perpetuates cycles of timeless truth but is deaf to what the Spirit is saying now to the churches. Without a prophetic voice challenging God's people to lay down their lives for the world, pastoral nuture can easily degenerate. Evangelism too, desperately needs to hear the prophet if it's methods are to be as godly as it's message and if it is to avoid giving stereotyped answers to questions people are not asking".

Philip Greenslade - "Leadership: Reflections on Biblical Leadership Today" - CWR.

Greg Haslam on Ephesians 4 Ministries

"We cannot omit any of these dimensions of ministry of the Word without suffering loss. If we delete apostolic and prophetic ministry, we are missing two-fifths of Christ's Word-ministry to His Church. If they are operating and being received well, all five of these ministries 'prepare God's people for works of service'; they are equippers of the saints".

Greg Haslam - "Prophetic Preaching" - in "Preach the Word!" (ed. Greg Haslam) - Sovereign World, London (2006) - p428

David Holden on Relational Apostles

"To be "amongst the churches” and not just with the elders, makes apostolic ministry a lot more accessible and meaningful. May apostles never become distant figures at conferences or too busy to relate. We need to find creative and workable ways to ensure that apostolic input stays close, real, ongoing and non-professional".

Dave Holden - "Relational Apostolic Input" - Dave Holden's Blog - 5th February 2010.

Terry Virgo on Apostolic Teams

"What we mustn’t do is encourage a group of pastors to say ‘we are an apostolic team’. No you are not. You are a group of pastors. It’s very important that we don’t muddle the gifts or we come unstuck".

Terry Virgo - "The Future of Newfrontiers - Part 6" - Terry Virgo's Blog - 24th December 2009.

Terry Virgo on the True Glory of the Church

"Paul wrote to the Philippians, ‘My brothers, my beloved, my longed-for, my joy, my crown’ (Phil. 4:1). Will he ever stop? How many more words will tumble out to express his love and delight in the church that he has helped to bring to birth? How he expresses something of Christ’s heart to his beloved church.How far removed from the ‘hire ‘em’ and ‘fire ‘em’ atmosphere which sometimes prevails in the modern church".

Terry Virgo - "Firstline" - Newfrontiers Magazine - July-September 2009 issue.

Dudley Daniel on Transitioning Leadership

"It shouldn't be a shock to the people that this is the man that will lead us into the future".

Dudley Daniel - "Dudley Daniel - The Transition" - NCMI TV "Equipping All Nations".

Rob Rufus on Ephesians 4 Ministries

"As soon as a pastor/teacher culture begins to control the church, then the apostolic and prophetic is lost".

Rob Rufus - "Session 2" - 'Word and Spirit Conference with Dr Michael Eaton' - 8 July - 11 July 2008, Cape Town South Africa - hosted by Joshua Generation Church

Rob Rufus on Newfrontiers

"It is unique to find a family of people who so fully celebrate the wonder of the New Covenant - who embrace the freedom of grace - embrace the truth of the truth of the Word of God and are not nervous or unafraid of the supernatural power of God".

Rob Rufus - "Being Obedient to Faith" - Newfrontiers Europe Conference - 11th May 2008.

Rob Rufus on the Signs of an Apostle

"One of the signs of an apostle is signs, wonders and miracles. Not someone who talks about them or runs around the world trying to teach other people how to plant churches. Not someone who is a conference speaker or a co-ordinator but someone who actually goes into the frontline pioneering zone where the Gospel hasn't been and breaks in with signs, wonders and miracles! Another sign of an apostle is someone who speaks boldly the message of grace. It is not a title - it has substance behind it".

Rob Rufus - "Session 3 - Sydney Glory and Grace Conference" - 26th March 2008.

Dr Lloyd-Jones on the Concious Experience of the Baptism of the Spirit

"Not concious! The Apostles were as men who appeared to be filled with new wine; they were in a state of ecstasy. They were rejoicing, they were praising God; they were moved, their hearts were ravished; they experienced things which they had never felt or known before. They were transformed and were so different that you can scarcely recognise them as the same Peter and James and John and the rest as they once were. Not experimental! Nothing can be more experimental; it is the height of Christian experience!".

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones - "Ephesians: God's Ultimate Purpose (Ephesians 1)" - Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh (1978).

C Peter Wagner on Defining an Apostle

"An apostle is a Christian leader gifted, taught, commissioned and sent by God with the authority to establish the foundational government of the Church within an assigned sphere of ministry by hearing what the Spirit is saying to the churches and by setting things in order accordingly for the expansion of the Kingdom of God".

C Peter Wagner - "Dominion!" - Chosen, Grand Rapids Michigan (2008) - (p31).

Rob Rufus on Church without Apostles and Prophets

"But the church won't tolerate prophets and apostles - the church wants to stone them! Without apostles and prophets the church goes into weakness. The church goes into the absence of the miraculous - the church goes into church programmes that can grow churches into the thousands but no one is coming out of wheelchairs and deaf ears aren't opening and blind eyes aren't opening and it is seen as success but it has got NOTHING to do with the Book of Acts church that has got the power of God and signs and wonders. We cannot settle for anything so subnormal!"

Rob Rufus - "Invading the Impossible - Part 5" - City Church International, Hong Kong - 17th February 2008.

Rob Rufus on the Purpose of Apostles and Prophets

"Apostolic/prophetic ministries need to be embraced and received with great joy but with fear because before they come, you can still hide in darkness but when they come they will explode life and light".

Rob Rufus - "Urgency of the Elijah Anointing - 1" - City Church International, Hong Kong - Sunday 21st May 2006.

Bill Johnson on Apostolic Order and Apostolic Power

"Apostolic order without apostolic power is to be questioned. Order based on biblical principle that is lacking biblical power is tragic at best, and deceptive at worst. Order does not exist unto itself. The wineskin exists for the wine. The wine is the focus. All order exists to house God Himself – not to restrict Him, but to accurately express Him. Wineskins need to flex in order to be useful, because of the expanding nature of the wine in the fermenting process. The Holy Spirit brings constant change, and to house Him means to embrace flexibility as a way of life. The goal is not to create a perfect structure or government. It is to create one that recognizes Him, and flexes with His changes".

Bill Johnson - "Apostolic Teams" - downloaded from Bill Johnson Ministries website - Thursday 31st January 2008.