Brent Detwiler on the Change to Sovereign Grace Ministries

A Fair Question I think:

"SGM is no longer a family of churches like it used to be and people aren’t connected to the mission like they use to be. During our first 20 years we did Celebration Conferences and live Mission Presentations in every geographical region. It gave us a wonderful opportunity to be with the people and among the people. There was a tremendous sense of camaraderie. C.J. ended these conferences over my strong objection ... There used to be a real sense of family and personal commitment to our collective call. That is largely gone. SGM is a corporation. Now we have a Chairman, President, Board of Directors, Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, and Ambassadors of Reconciliation. What happened to apostles, prophets, miracles, the restoration of the church and personal evangelism?".

Brent Detwiler - "Sovereign Grace Ministries Relocation Announcement" - SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012 AT 11:25PM

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

Phil Wilthew on New Testament Prophets

"A New Testament prophet’s job is not actually to do all of the prophesying, but rather to empower others to hear God for themselves (Eph. 4:12)".

Phil Wilthew - "Creating Prophetic Cultures" - Newfrontiers Magazine - Apr-June 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.

C Peter Wagner on Mistaken Teaching on Pastors

"We taught in the 1990's that church pastors were the spiritual gatekeepers of the city ... and we were mistaken. It is in my books and you should tear those pages out. Church pastors are very low on the influence scale in most societies ... My friend Che Ahn is seeing high influence actors coming from Hollywood to his church in Pasadena because he is equipping his people to move in arts and entertainment".

C Peter Wagner - "The Seven 'M' Mandate" - Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship Church - accessed from God T.V - Wednesday 14th April 2010 17:00.

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.

Dr Stanley Jebb on the Authority of the Pastor

"Strictly speaking, the only authority a pastor has is the spiritual authority inherent in the message he preaches ... One thing, however, is clear, and that is that a minister should never be a dictator. Autocracy is quite out of place in the pastoral office".

Dr Stanley Jebb - "Authority" - Alethinos Reflections - accessed April 27th 2009.

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 Bible Colleges and Pastors

"Some Bible colleges actually train pastors to keep distance between them and the people!".

Rob Rufus - "Attitudes That Attract The Empowering Grace Of God - Part 1" -

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.

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 Ministry and Identity

"We don't need ministry to be important or to be doing things to be worth something! We are righteous! We are important! We have identity! And the more secure we become in our identity in our righteousness, the more ministry He will give you! Everyone in this room wants to be used by God and do you know why? Because in this coming wave of the glory God will use every Christian who deals with the control spirit and gets it off their life and stops controlling others and deals with condemnation and gets it off their life. Those who get equipped will be ready for this next move! Those who do not open to the message of righteousness will not be ready for the next move!".

Rob Rufus - "Invading the Impossible - Part 11" - City Church International, Hong Kong - Sunday 23rd March 2008.

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.