APOSTOLIC GOVERNMENT IN DELAWARE

C. Peter Wagner January 30, 2012

For a long time, those of us involved in the New Apostolic Reformation have agreed that God raises up territorial apostles to provide biblical government for the people of God in a given geographical region. I personally have tried to keep my spiritual antennae tuned to developments in implementing territorial apostolic government, especially in the U.S., and I have been observing several individuals who undoubtedly have the gifts of territorial apostles, but I suspect that my list is far from complete. I would love to hear from any of those who read this report who may have information about territorial apostolic government so that we could begin to catalog and publicize what God is doing.

Meanwhile, for a year or more I have been in touch with apostolic leadership in the state of Delaware, the first state admitted to the union, about the possibility of organizing key apostles in the state and having their government recognized by the state. I was honored to be invited to sit with six of these leaders for an extended meeting on January 19, 2012. Preparations for this meeting had been going on for several months. Those present agreed to constitute themselves as the Delaware Council of Apostles, and they appointed one of their number to serve as Convening Apostle.

Three of the six had not yet been publicly commissioned as apostles, so a public meeting for commissioning was scheduled that evening. Much to my surprise, a good bit of field work had been done to assure the approval of the State of Delaware. As part of the ceremony, I was officially welcomed as an apostle and authorized to help commission apostles to the state. The mayor of Seaford (a committed believer) read the Commendation from his office and presented me with the key to the city. This was followed by a Tribute complete with the seal of the Sussex County Council, a Tribute with the seal of the Senate of the State of Delaware, and a Tribute from the House of Representatives of the State of Delaware read personally by the representative of the district.

I could not help but feel that this event, held in our first state, could well have been historic.

For the record, I feel I should transcribe the document from the House, elegantly inscribed on 8 1/2″ x 14″ parchment-type paper and encased in a folder;

“State of Delaware House of Representatives. Tribute. Be it known to all that the House of Representatives recognizes Dr. C. Peter Wagner As an Apostle For the Occasion of Commissioning Apostles in the State of Delaware. On this special day of the Commissioning Service, we honor Dr. C. Peter Wagner for his many years of faithful service to the Lord of Heaven and Earth, and the advancement of His Kingdom. ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens: I know your works. See I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it.” Rev. 3:7.’ The House of Representatives extends its sincere congratulations and directs this tribute to be presented on this 19th day of January 2012. (Signed) Robert F. Gilligan, Speaker of the House; Richard L. Puffer, Chief Clerk of the House, Representative Daniel B., Short, Sponsor.” 

I was delighted that fellow Global Spheres, Inc. members from New Jersey, John and Sheryl Price and Trisha Roselle came down from New Jersey to pray for us during the business meeting and to form our Prophetic Presbytery for the Commissioning Service. The Delaware Council of Apostles has formulated a charter document that is currently undergoing revision. When it is ready, I would hope that we could publicize it as a possible format for other states. I thought that the official sanction of the Government Mountain for this highly significant initiative in the Religion Mountain was notable. It would be interesting to know whether such a thing has happened in other states.

Can also be viewed online

 What is success?

But success is measured and defined differently by God. God’s measure of success involves our obedience and faithfulness to Him, regardless of opposition and personal cost. His measure of success is whether or not we are being loyal to Him in our personal relationship with Him and in our life, and whether we are accomplishing His goals & purposes for our life. Some examples in the Bible: Jeremiah was an failure when judged by people’s definition of success. For 40 years he served as God’s spokesman, but when he spoke no one listened and responded. He was rejected by his neighbors, his family, the priests and prophets, friends, his audiences, and the kings. He was poor and underwent severe deprivation to deliver God’s messages. He was thrown into prison and into a cistern. But in God’s eyes he was a success. He faithfully and courageously proclaimed God’s word and His messages, and he was obedient to his calling.

Jesus was also a failure, if you measure his life here on earth by people’s measure of success. He had little in material possessions, and did not even own a home. He was rejected by most people, and was even hated by some. The religious leaders of the time despised him. Even his friends and those closest to him deserted him. He was accused and found guilty of things he did not do. He was beaten, spit on, cursed, mocked, and he suffered terribly and died the most horrible kind of death known to man at that time, death on the cross. Measure him by the way most of us measure success, and he was a failure. But in God’s eyes, the redemption and salvation of all of mankind was accomplished through His son Jesus. By God’s grace and great love for you and I, He sent Jesus to pay for our sins, and now the gift of a restored personal relationship with God and eternal life can be ours – all because of Jesus Christ.

“God’s call is for you to be his loyal friend, to accomplish His purposes and goals for your life” – Oswald Chambers

“Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves… but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant…” – 2 Corinthians 3:4-6

“Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” - 1 Samuel 16

“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” – Matthew 7: 20

Newt Gingrich’s campaign announced today that Dutch Sheets, a self-appointed apostle and a major figure in the New Apostolic Reformation, will join his Faith Leaders Coalition as a National Co-Chair.

See:

Apostle Dutch Sheets Endorses Newt Gingrich, Will Join Campaign’s National Faith Leaders Coalition

Newt Gingrich Names ‘Apostle’ Dutch Sheets to his Faith Leaders Coalition

How would you like to be a big black man who is conservative, friends with the likes of Dr. James Dobson and Rush Limbaugh, someone who believes that there are no mistakes in the Bible, doesn’t care what people think of him, thinks the only way to make your enemy a friend is to defeat them or kill them, thinks it is okay for prisoners to be executed, thinks that the human race is at the top of the food chain, thinks it is okay to drill for oil in our own country, to kick illegals out of that same country, and thinks it’s okay to enjoy life? I am about infusing the culture with biblical truth, where ever and whenever I can no matter what the cost… Join me as we explore God’s Biblical Blueprint for an ordered, just and fair society. (HutchPost)

Guess his idea of “infusing the culture with biblical truth” means we are to totally disregard Jesus’ command to love our enemies,

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5: 43-48 

Lord, have mercy upon your children who are being led by false shepherds…  

For a bunch of people who worship the Founders and like to play dress-up American Revolutionary War, Tea Partyers sure hate knowing anything remotely reality-based about the Founding Fathers…

At a press conference, two dozen activists presented their proposals — I’m sorry, their “demands” — for the new state legislative session. Among them are sweeping changes to school materials that they probably have not actually read;

The material calls for lawmakers to amend state laws governing school curriculums, and for textbook selection criteria to say that “No portrayal of minority experience in the history which actually occurred shall obscure the experience or contributions of the Founding Fathers, or the majority of citizens, including those who reached positions of leadership.” Fayette County attorney Hal Rounds, the group’s lead spokesman during the news conference, said the group wants to address “an awful lot of made-up criticism about, for instance, the founders intruding on the Indians or having slaves or being hypocrites in one way or another.”  

Source:  Salon

A little more than a year after the conservative-led state board of education in Texas approved massive changes to its school textbooks to put slavery in a more positive light, a group of Tea Party activists in Tennessee has renewed its push to whitewash school textbooks. The group is seeking to remove references to slavery and mentions of the country’s founders being slave owners.

During the news conference more than two dozen Tea Party activists handed out material that said, “Neglect and outright ill will have distorted the teaching of the history and character of the United States. We seek to compel the teaching of students in Tennessee the truth regarding the history of our nation and the nature of its government.” And that further teaching would also include that “the Constitution created a Republic, not a Democracy.”

The latest push comes a year after the Texas Board of Education approved revisions to its social studies curriculum that would put a conservative twist on history through revised textbooks and teaching standards. The Texas revisions include the exploration of the positive aspects of American slavery, lifting the stature of Jefferson S. Davis to that of Abraham Lincoln, and amendments to teach the value of the separation of church and state were voted down by the conservative cadre….

The measures went as far as to replace instances of the trans-Atlantic slave trade with “Atlantic triangular trade.”

The board approved more than 100 amendments affecting social studies, economics and history classes for Texas’s 4.8 million students. The influence of the amended textbooks will likely reach far beyond the state of Texas. The state is one of the largest purchasers of textbooks, and many other states adopt Texas’s books and standards.

More at Huffington Post

Amazing. We have folks revising American history and the nuts at Conservapedia re-writing the bible into their image. If the Lord tarries wonder what this nation will be like in 20 years?

From Religion Dispatches, by S. Posner;

Today Newt Gingrich made an appearance at River Church in Tampa, Florida, pastored by Rodney Howard Browne.

Slate’s Dave Weigel tweeted that in introducing Gingrich, Browne prayed that America “will not allow the killing of unborn babies, and the takeover of Islam” and “the Constitution that we have, and your word, and Jesus is the only way we can be delivered from this plight.”

Browne is no inconsequential—or uncontroversial—figure in the world of charismatic Christianity. He’s been described by Christianity Today as the “often flamboyant Pentecostal preacher.” He’s associated with the “holy laughter” manifestation of charismatic gifts, which the same CT piece characterized as “rang[ing] from uncontrollable laughter to the noises of animals.”

A 1999 profile in the Tampa Tribune described Browne and the phenomonen that is also known as the Toronto Blessing, because of a revival sparked there:

Howard-Browne is the pastor of The River at Tampa Bay, a high-energy, racially-mixed church in Temple Terrace he founded in December 1996. Nearly 1,000 people spend about four hours in a service led by “the Holy Ghost bartender,” as he is known. Here, he serves the new wine of Christ, and they get drunk with joy. It’s not uncommon for worshipers to break into uncontrollable “holy laughter,” shaking with mirth, dancing in the aisles or falling to the ground. They say they are “slain in the spirit.” The movement has swept churches in Lakeland, Pensacola, southern California and Toronto. Although holy laughter has caused quite a controversy in charismatic circles, historians say it has been around for centuries. “It’s better than doing crack cocaine; it’s better than drinking alcohol,” says David Wilson, a 38- year-old carpenter and former substance abuser who now attends the River. “It’s a spiritual high I never want to come off of.” 

Adherents to a more orthodox brand of Christianity object to Browne’s doctrine, along with his preaching of Word of Faith (or prosperity gospel), calling their views heretical and unbiblical.

Critics range from the Christian Research Institute, which aims to “provide Christians worldwide with carefully researched information and well-reasoned answers that encourage them in their faith and equip them to intelligently represent it to people influenced by ideas and teachings that assault or undermine orthodox, biblical Christianity” to televangelist watchdog Ole Anthony of the Trinity Foundation. Anthony called the high produced by Browne’s revival “a phony euphoria,” adding, “What happens to these converted people when the crusade packs up and leaves town? They get depressed. They get confused. So all they can do is wait for the next one so they can go back and get another fix.” CRI’s Hank Hanegraff, also known as the “Bible Answer Man,” has called Browne’s activities a “counterfeit revival,” and accused him of preaching “fabrications, fantasies, and frauds.”

Hanegraff has provided some detailed accounts of what it was like for him to be at a Browne revival:

When the Holy Ghost Bartender (who also refers to himself as the Holy Ghost Hitman) arrived at my seat, he began threatening to have me thrown out of the sanctuary. “I’m telling you right now,” he hissed, “you’ll drop dead if you prohibit what God is doing!” Dramatically he gestured toward the crowd and warned them that those like me, who would dare question that what he was doing was of God, had committed the unpardonable sin and would not be forgiven in this world or the next.

The following day he crowed, “The last time I had a confrontation like that…was…with a bunch of Mormons… you could see their spirit, y’know…just a really religious, pharisaical spirit, that’s what it is. Amen?…And I smelt it — y’know, I can smell them religious devils from about a hundred yards —- I could smell them blindfolded, man….You could see, last night we meant business.” He labeled his critics “idiots” and warned that they were about to experience either “riot or revival.” 

Four years ago, John McCain had a “pastor problem” because of the controversial and bigoted statements made by his endorsers John Hagee and Rod Parsley. McCain responded by rejecting their endorsements and distancing himself from them. It’s hard to imagine Newt (Tyler Durden) Gingrich backing away so easily, even if other Christians have issues with Browne. Will he add “heretic hunters” to the list of “elites” attacking him?

*There are some interesting video clips included within the article as well. 

This one by Dan Edelen (Cerulean Sanctum; I Had a Dream) stirred a deep longing in my spirit.    

Rest only in Him and then reserve for Him all the glory. Be specially mindful of this, for this is a tender point with Him: He will not give his glory to another. Take care to praise the Spirit of God from your inmost heart, and gratefully wonder that he should condescend to work by you.

Please Him by glorifying Christ. Render Him homage by yielding yourself to His impulses, and by hating everything that grieves Him. The consecration of your whole being will be the best psalm in His praise. (The Old Time Gospel)

(Randy has posted more encouraging messages pertaining to our wonderful comforter, the Holy Spirit. If time permits, you may want to check them out)   

An opinion piece by Dr. Keith Ablow, a member of Fox News’ “Medical A-Team,” appeared on FoxNews.com today. In it, Ablow argues that the fact that Republican candidate Newt Gingrich has been married three times means that he could be an effective president:

I want to be coldly analytical, not moralize, here. I want to tell you what Mr. Gingrich’s behavior could mean for the country, not for the future of his current marriage. So, here’s what one interested in making America stronger can reasonably conclude — psychologically — from Mr. Gingrich’s behavior during his three marriages:

1) Three women have met Mr. Gingrich and been so moved by his emotional energy and intellect that they decided they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with him.

2) Two of these women felt this way even though Mr. Gingrich was already married.

3) One of them felt this way even though Mr. Gingrich was already married for the second time, was not exactly her equal in the looks department and had a wife (Marianne) who wanted to make his life without her as painful as possible.

Conclusion: When three women want to sign on for life with a man who is now running for president, I worry more about whether we’ll be clamoring for a third Gingrich term, not whether we’ll want to let him go after one. 

Ablow concludes:

So, as far as I can tell, judging from the psychological data, we have only one real risk to America from his marital history if Newt Gingrich were to become president: We would need to worry that another nation, perhaps a little younger than ours, would be so taken by Mr. Gingrich that it would seduce him into marrying it and becoming its president.  

Fox’s Dr. Keith Ablow: “Gingrich’s Three Marriages Mean He Might Make A Strong President”

What a 3-ring Circus.. 

 Ed Young, founding pastor of Texas-based Fellowship Church, suffered a minor eye injury from exposure to the sun during the 24-hour bed-in with his wife, Lisa, on the church’s roof to discuss truths about sex before a live Internet audience.

Dressed warmly, Ed and Lisa Young remained under a white comforter in bed on the roof of their Grapevine megachurch, conducting bedside interviews, talking via Skype with pastors and friends about sex in marriage from God’s perspective. But the eye injury forced the couple to take a break toward the last few hours, ahead of their scheduled 6 a.m. CST ending time on Saturday.

The live streaming of the 24-hour bed-in carried on, however, with volunteers taking over in the absence of the pastor couple.

Singer John Lennon did a bed-in during the Vietnam War in 1969 for world peace, Lisa said, but their bed-in is for “sex peace.”

More Here

WASHINGTON — A week before the South Carolina primaries, more than 150 conservative evangelical leaders met in Texas and voted to throw their weight behind former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum. The endorsement, which will likely come with grassroots support and fundraising assistance, marks a last-minute effort to help a socially conservative candidate dethrone current frontrunner Mitt Romney.

“Rick Santorum has consistently articulated the issues that are of concern to conservatives, both economic and social,” said Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, speaking on behalf of the attendees.

The group of religious conservative leaders met on Friday and Saturday at the Brenham ranch of former judge and Southern Baptist leader Paul Pressler. The assemblage did not release a full list of its members, although radio host James Dobson, Don Wildmon of the American Family Association and pastor John Hagee were among the invited.

Source

Wonder if these self appointed bellwethers are under the delusion that Christians across America will now blindly follow their lead?  I said it 4 years ago and will say it again:  A lot of us sheep stopped drinking the kool-aid a long time ago.

It is impossible to read the New Testament and not see the theme of redemption through faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, that is the exclusive theme in both the Old and New Testament. The sacrifice of God’s Son upon the cross provided redemption for whosever will believe. And yes, we can understand that now, but our understanding with be much greater and soaked in experience when we one day lay eyes upon the Risen Christ! What a glorious day of promise.

But there is an interesting subplot that makes much more than a minor cameo appearance throughout the New Testament. And this supportive theme many times is minimized if not wholly ignored. Again, it is impossible to read through the New Testament and not see this continuing exhortation. And this theme is designed to uphold, empower, and aid in the spreading of the gospel of redemption. As believing followers of the Lord Jesus, we are personally called to lives of moderation.

But it goes much deeper than that. Even in that moderation and personal sacrifice, we are called to minister to the people of this world. And when I say minister, I mean more than just teaching and preaching. So often we have isolated teaching and preaching and walked away with a feeling of religious fulfillment and a faithful dispatch of our New Testament duties. But in so doing we are ignoring the Scriptural outline for a disciple’s behavior.

Capitalism, nationalism, and hedonism has captured and imprisoned the western evangelical marketplace. And if you are “orthodox” in your doctrine, then the fringe issues seem negotiable. Therefore, if you believe in the deity of Christ, and salvation by grace through faith, and a few other pillars of the doctrinal faith, then you stand in fulfillment of the teachings of Christ. You are a disciple.

But wait a minute….

Continued at Following Judah’s Lion, Jesus – a Practicing Socialist

We have been reporting on last week’s Gathering of Eagles in Washington, D.C. where the Family Research Council teamed up with “Apostle” Cindy Jacobs to launch a prayer campaign designed to influence the 2012 elections.

The event was vivid evidence of the Religious Right’s willingness to embrace the radical dominionists of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). The Family Research Council is probably the most prominent political group on the Religious Right; its Values Voter Summit attracts Republican presidential candidates, congressional leaders, and other officials. FRC is teaming up with proponents of politics as spiritual warfare against demons who control Washington, D.C. and other cities. FRC and NAR leaders have common political goals (defeating President Obama, opposing LGBT equality, etc.) and a shared disdain for the separation of church and state.

The Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins didn’t show, but the group’s chaplain and national prayer director Pierre Bynum represented FRC, asking for “miracles” during the election year prayer project and “joy” in November. Bynum recounted God’s instructions to Moses, through his father-in-law, regarding the kind of men he should select as leaders (men who are capable, who fear God, who love truth, and who hate dishonest gain). Then Bynum spoke wistfully about a time when he says there was a clear religious test for public office — something explicitly forbidden in the Constitution.

…used to be you couldn’t hold public office in America unless you believed in Jesus Christ, and also believed not only in Jesus Christ but in a future destiny of rewards and punishment for people – you had to believe in a heaven and a hell to be elected for public office in the United States.

But Bynum, and Cindy Jacobs herself, were just the warm-up crew for “teaching apostle” Dutch Sheets, a leader in the New Apostolic Reformation.

Sheets’s keynote was part lecture and part battle cry, structured around what he portrayed as two aspects of the church – the oikos – which represents the church as family – and the ekklesia, which he says is the church as legislative body, as God’s government on earth. His thesis is that the American church is too caught up in pastoral care and taking care of individuals and congregations – the oikos – and not nearly concerned enough with their responsibility to legislate, govern, and manage the earth in partnership with god.  

Sheets blames that on Satan, who stole from people the concept of being an ekklesia , a “nation-discipling, ambassadorial, earth-stewarding extension of his kingdom.” Satan, it turns out, also had some help from King James, sponsor of the beloved 1611 English translation of the Bible. Sheets says King James was uncomfortable with people thinking of themselves as a government (“kind of like our government that is trying to sell us separation of church and state”) and so he instructed his translators to use the word “church” when translating ekklesia.

Sheets is out to change the emphasis on the “family” side of church. He says he’s looking for soldiers and warriors who understand the commission in Matthew 28 to disciple the nations as a grant of authority to be partners with God. “Disciple, rule, manage the earth. Make it look like heaven.” This is not a new concept, he says, but “a renewing of the Genesis mandate to manage our home — and make this part of the kingdom look and think like the kingdom of heaven.” In fact, Sheets said, the earth itself is “groaning” for the sons of God to exercise their proper dominion and authority, saying that if they don’t, it doesn’t rain when it’s supposed to rain and crops don’t produce.

Sheets repeatedly mocked “little sheepies” – people focused on the caring and pastoral work of the church (while insisting he wasn’t demeaning that work) – and called for warriors, saying “I’m trying to raise up an army!” In his final prayer, he denounced as lazy, self-centered, narcissistic sheep those Christians who don’t register to vote because they don’t want to serve on jury duty, and asked God to “raise up kingdom warriors that are ready to do whatever it takes to bring forth your kingdom rule in the earth.” 

*See full article and videos at RWW: Dominionists in Search of Warriors: More from FRC – Cindy Jacobs 2012 Kickoff Rally 

Thanks brothers and sisters