Before we look at several other apostolic centers (Ephesus, Corinth, and Rome) let’s go back to a really foundational issue for the Church and it’s mission in the world. Let’s look at the Kingdom Jesus came to establish and the DNA of that Kingdom.

Jesus came to earth with two interrelated missions

1> Take the judgment and penalty for the sins of everyone as the perfect God/Man and Sacrificial Lamb

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

2> Set in motion a movement that nothing could or will stop

The most important, longest-lasting, greatest life-changing, movement in history

These two separate but related missions come together as ESTABLISH A KINGDOM

Other kingdoms would come and go … The Ottoman Empire, The Roman Empire, The Greek Empire – All gone

But the Kingdom of God is alive and growing – It has survived even thrives on persecution

Communist China
Buddhist Myanmar
Hindu and Muslim India
Secular United States and Canada

If you were chosen to engineer the greatest movement on the planet – what would you do? How would you start?

Raise the finances, build an organization, start a Bible College. Establish a monastery, purchase church buildings, train leaders, train a sales force, marketing, establish a publishing company
Franchise the system – MacChurch’s

All of these have been tried and failed and all are totally foreign to what Jesus did. He did not go big and did not move fast and was not flashy or looking for publicity

Take a small group of men – say 12 – and train them to do what you are doing

Ah! That is what we think He did because we have been taught that. That is what our religious glasses see. That’s what our tradition sees because that is what the church does

Jesus spent three years imparting a KINGDOM CULTURE into His twelve disciples so they would know who they were … much more important than how to do something

Yes, He sent them out, released them, to heal the sick and cast out demons – Trial runs to see what they understood

Yes, they were commissioned to testify to what they had seen and heard as Jesus ascended

Mark 16:15-18 “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

But, this was not His main method for establishing a movement. He spent three years with a small group of men building relationally and showing them how the Kingdom functioned – imparting a Kingdom DNA

His focus was: Not the church; Not the ministry; Not their gifts and callings

He lived “the Kingdom” and shared that Kingdom lifestyle with His twelve future leaders

He did not go big, fast, and public – He went slow, deep, and private

He imparted the DNA of Kingdom living into the lives of the early disciples

He showed them how to live as a counter-culture to the current culture

It is counter-intuitive to invest most of His time and effort with a handful of His disciples

It is not natural to go slow and deep; personal and private

But then He was planting a supernatural DNA into His followers by living the Kingdom culture while with them 24/7 for three years

With the few committed disciples He imparted / imprinted them with the Kingdom culture because He had come to establish a Kingdom

Matthew 3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

He infused them with the divine Kingdom DNA and then gave them the power at Pentecost to live out that Kingdom culture and spread it to the end of the earth

Not a church culture; Not a church; Not an organization; Not a system; Not a program.

A Kingdom Culture and divine DNA…

He got “up close and personal”

He spent three years with twelve men and imparted the Kingdom culture and a Kingdom perspective to them because He had come to establish a Kingdom movement

“You can impress people from a distance but you can impact them only up close.” Howard Hendricks

As we saw last time when we began looking at the founding of the Church in the city of Antioch… “Some of them, however, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. And the Lord’s hand was with them and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.” (Acts 11)

That was earth shaking!

In Antioch, for the first time in history, Messianic Jews from Jerusalem openly told Gentiles about their Messiah, and the Gentiles got saved. As a matter of fact, lots of Gentiles got saved. “Great numbers” of Gentiles were saved. This had, of course, been God’s goal all along. Even in the Old Testament we are told that God’s ultimate intention was for Gentiles to be saved and come to know the God of Israel. Psalm 22 says, “All the ends of the earth will turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will worship.” God’s goal has always been to draw together men and women from every tribe, and tongue, and language. He wants every expression of humanity to join in a great symphony of praise to God.

None of this could happen in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was important as the birthplace of the Church But it lacked a key ingredient of God’s plan. Jerusalem had very few Gentiles. So, God brought the Church to the great cosmopolitan city of Antioch. The melting pot of every race, tongue, and ethnic group. There He established a new (second) apostolic center

Here is how it happened…

Acts 11 tells us that when Jerusalem heard that the Gentiles were being saved in Antioch, they sent Barnabas to check it out. Barnabas was more than “an encourager” – He was an apostleActs 14:14 tells us that both Paul and Barnabas were apostles. He was not one of the original twelve, but he was, like Paul, part of a second generation of apostles

Barnabas went up to Antioch. As an apostle, he began to set the Church in order, laying a proper foundation (Ephesians 2:20; 4:11-16; and 1 Corinthians 12:28)

In Acts 2 we saw the first apostles establish the first apostolic center in Jerusalem

In Acts 11, we see a new generation of apostles establish the next apostolic center in Antioch

The first thing the apostles did in Jerusalem was to teach and train the people. Acts 2:42 says, “The people devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” The Church in Jerusalem was a training center where the saints were equipped. The same thing happened in Antioch

Acts 11:25 say, “Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul” (also known as Paul). Barnabas knew that Paul was an apostle and teacher, and that the young converts at Antioch needed teaching and training. When he found Paul he brought him to Antioch, and for a whole year they taught a great number of new disciples in this second apostolic center. So Antioch became a training center also

When Paul and Barnabas were teaching the people for that year, what were they teaching them?

They were not teaching them how to figure out what year the rapture would happen. They were not teaching them the five points of Calvinism. They were teaching the saints the basics of the Christian faith so that they would grow and become mature believers and leaders, reproducing themselves by leading others to the Lord. They were teaching them how to live as believers and minister to non-believers. They were training and equipping them to do the works of Jesus.

An interesting thing to note:

At that time believers were called “followers of The Way.” The Christian faith was not a religion but a way of life embraced by those who believed in Jesus who came to show His people how to live. At that time “Christian” was not the name of a religion.

However, in time those who followed Christ became know as ‘Christians.’ The word “Christian” was made by taking the word ‘Christ’ and adding the suffix “ian” which means “little.” So “Christian” literally means “Little Christ.” As you read the book of Acts, you find that the apostles presented Christ to the Gentiles as one who “went about doing good and healing all who oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38)So when Gentiles heard the name Christ and were saved, this is what came to mind and this is what they wanted the apostles to teach them and equip them to do. When Paul and Barnabas equipped the saints in Antioch to do the works of Jesus, they began to heal the sick, drive out demons, and win the lost. So the Gentiles said, “You are all doing the same things Christ did. You are ‘little Christs!’” And the name stuck

This is God’s goal for every Christian. God wants you to lay hands on the sick and see them recover. He wants you to find people who are in bondage to the enemy and set them free. He wants you to become a “little Christ.” The apostolic center in Antioch was a training center where believers were equipped to be “little Christs” wherever they went

But there was more going on in Antioch than teaching as will see next time…

As we saw last time … The early Church – comprised of mostly Jewish converts to the Christian faith kept the same structure as they were accustomed to in their original faith

As a result, for the first three centuries, Christianity was a home-based religion. Churches were house churches with the weekly worship gatherings loosely based on the pattern of the Jewish Sabbath celebration

The family being the first place of spiritual life
The spiritual family – the house church – being a weekly gathering to hear what God was saying
The regional church being a resource center for all the local house churches

So, it looked like this …

Jewish Christian
House was key / family House / family
House Church / combining homes House churches / traditional churches
Synagogue / the new “temple” Regional Apostolic Centres

This is one of the secrets of the early church’s rapid spread. New house churches were easy to start. Jews who received Jesus already knew how to hold a “church service” in their homes
They had been having worship gatherings in their homes all their lives. .So, when the persecution broke out in Jerusalem – Acts, Chapter 8 – those that were scattered could flee the city and start new churches wherever they went

Household churches were in the DNA!

This is why Paul could go to a city like Thessalonica, ministering in the synagogue, lead a few people to Jesus, start a church, then leave – – – all in about three weeks!

But these new Christians meeting in house churches did not have the fivefold ministry

Ephesians 4:11-12 “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”

So, they needed a place where they could go to for teaching, training, and equipping … a place different than the local church

The “synagogue transformed into a regional Church
In Jerusalem – they taught in the Temple court
In Ephesus – Paul taught in a rented facility
In some locations the believers actually established local regional Christian “synagogues”

James 2:2 “Suppose a man comes into your synagogue…”

These became regional centers where local house churches could access the fivefold ministry

They needed a place where they could regularly access the important ministry of apostles and prophets – evangelists, shepherds, and teachers
The first key one was found in the central hub of Jerusalem – an apostolic center

For the Jewish people – and for the early Church – Jerusalem was a hub

All the local house churches in the area – Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria – looked to Jerusalem for leadership. It was crucial in the early Church – as it is today – that churches not be isolated and alone. So, we see house churches linking to the first central hub – Jerusalem – where the apostles and prophets were located and people were being trained and equipped

Acts 2:42 “…the apostles doctrines”

This was based on the Jewish pattern

Jerusalem – the hub for temple worship on specific occasions and for teaching became a regional Church (Apostolic Centre) for occasional gatherings to train and equip leaders

THE APOSTOLIC CENTER – Jerusalem being the first

It was a place where the fivefold ministry could be contacted for teaching and training

The fivefold ministry is seldom contained within a local church no mater how big it may be. The fivefold ministry is most often located as a team in a regional apostolic center and moves out from there to help local churches of all sizes. They come to the local area to train and equip those who are members and thus ministers within the local assembly

*Ephesians 4:11-12 “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”

So, it is a place of sending

Believers going out from Jerusalem, evangelized all Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. From Jerusalem the apostles came to Samaria where Philip was witnessing a major move of the Holy Spirit bringing the message of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17)

From Jerusalem, Barnabas was sent to the city of Antioch to help establish the Church there (Acts 11:22)

And, it is a place of gathering

In Bible times, Christians continued the Jewish practice of returning to Jerusalem. But not for the religious festivals – but for special times of training and equipping for the work of the ministry – coming to where the fivefold ministry was established and travelled out from.

And, for major councils of the whole Church to discuss major changes and issues in the Church and in the way things functioned – the way the Church operated (Acts 15)

Jerusalem, as an apostolic center for the early Church, was seen as a resource center where
Leaders could come to learn and grow
Leaders could find “times of refreshing” in the presence of the Lord (acts 3:20)
Leaders could spend time and be healed and renewed

Jerusalem was also a place where the apostles lived and worked as they did not scatter in the persecution. And, from there, they protected the faith guarding and teaching the doctrines (teachings) of the Church (Jude 3b)

So, Jerusalem became the Church’s first apostolic center

It raised up a company of Christians who did the works of Jesus in the earth and the result was a major, powerful, abundant harvest of new souls for the Kingdom

Three centuries of sustained multi-generational growth and expansion

And, they set the pattern for the expansion of the Church world-wide

As a result house churches could thrive throughout Judea, Samaria, and Galilee and the Kingdom was constantly expanding. And, as God established Apostolic Centers today – we too will see the Kingdom expand and spread throughout the whole earth

Next – The Second New Testament Apostolic Center

The Church in the New Testament met in people’s homes. These house churches could be as small as a single family or as large as 60 to 70 people determined by the size of the home ad the enclosed yard. So, few churches would have had even one of the fivefold ministry gifts within the church assembly. Most the church members were recent converts from either the Jewish faith or paganism. They would be immature and untrained in the spiritual gifts that come when a person is baptized in the Holy Spirit.

So the question is: “How were the churches in the book of Acts able to operate in the fivefold ministry?” As you study the book of Acts you will discover that the key to the effective functioning of the local church and the ministry of the fivefold gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher was the establishment of what could be called “apostolic centers.” These were established in Jerusalem, Corinth, Ephesus, Antioch and other places as well.

An apostolic center can be defined as: A beachhead for the gospel of the Kingdom in a territory. It is a regional resource center established to provide everything necessary for the planting of the seed of the Gospel of the Kingdom and the raising up of new expressions of the Church in the region -and focusing on having these churches grow and multiply.

The early church in the New Testament had no megachurches. It didn’t even have what we would call ‘moderate sized’ churches. It was made up of hundreds or even thousands of small house churches scattered across a region or a city. Individually each church had few resources. But these churches could operate in great power because they were not isolated nor alone. The churches in each region were linked into a central hub that gave them access to the fivefold ministry teams serving their area.

Whenever the Church expanded into a new area or a new culture, a new apostolic center was established. These apostolic centers were all different, but they each met a number of needs:

1> They were first and foremost teaching and training centers. Each apostolic center was begun by a visiting apostolic team devoting a year or more to the intensive teaching and training, equipping and mentoring, of disciples.

2> They were also sending centers. From an apostolic center, ministry teams were sent out to plant new the Gospel of the Kingdom, raise up new disciples, and to see Jesus use their efforts to build New Testament churches in the region thus penetrating new territory for the Kingdom – thus becoming a multiplying movement.

3> They would also travel trans-locally to strengthen already established churches.

4> Apostolic centers frequently served as gathering places for regional discussions and decision making conferences.

5> Regional apostolic centers also were places for celebrations. In the Old Testament God established the pattern that regional worship gatherings be held three times a year at the biblical feast days. The early church continued this practice well into the 4th century. Christians in small isolated house churches would come together at an apostolic center for larger celebrations as hundreds or even thousands gathered for encouragement, praise, and worship.

Through teaching, training, and the sending out of apostolic teams, apostolic centers acted as hubs where all the churches in the region could access the fivefold ministry gifts. As a result of being connected to an apostolic center, churches in the first century were never weak or isolated. They were apostolically linked. Even a small house church had access to the ministry of an apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher. The result was that the church flourished.

Through apostolic centers every Christian in the region could be trained to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit and do what Jesus did (Acts1:5, 8; John 14:12). Saints were equipped and spiritual gifts were released. Signs and wonders took place, and the territory was transformed by the power of the Gospel;.

Today, in many nations, God is raising up apostolic centers.

The fivefold ministry not only sets order in the Church that Jesus is building but it also empowers the Church ultimately bringing fulfillment to each individual Christian.

When God created you, He designed you to be a minister. The Bible tells us that before you were born, God designed a perfect plan for your life. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “I know the plans I have for you … plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Romans 12:2 assures us that God’s plan for you is “good, pleasing, and perfect.” It is not something you will dread. It will not make you miserable. It’s the thing that will bring you supreme joy and satisfaction in life.

Part of this plan involves finding your place of ministry in His Body. In Ephesians 2:10 the apostle Paul tells us that you were “created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

God designed you to accomplish certain “good works” during your time on earth. He then prepared you in advance, building into your personality everything you need to be successful in His eyes. He gave you a unique personality, unique abilities, and a unique set of spiritual gifts. He planted a desire in you that can only be satisfied by fulfilling that call. God wants you to know that you are not an accident. You are here for a purpose. You’ve been sent here on a mission.

Some of you were created to heal the sick. Some of you were gifted to teach. Some of us were gifted to prophesy. It does not matter where you work, or how much money you make, if you are not doing what God created you to do, you will always have a gnawing feeling and hunger deep down inside, a feeling that something is missing.

It is always exciting to teach others who they are “in Christ.” When you teach people how to sense the Holy Spirit, how to respond to His presence, and how to hear His voice as you share fellowship with the Spirit … Wow! When people begin to move in the supernatural realm and exercise their spiritual gifts, they get excited and I get excited.

When teaching people to pray for the sick …when they lay hands on someone and sense the moving of the Spirit and the release of the healing anointing…it changes them forever. And, I get excited for them because they are now entering into the ministry and their destiny in Christ.
And, when you pray for someone and they are healed suddenly the whole issue of faith is not just intellectual. You realize that the Christian faith is real at a level you had never imagined. You begin looking for opportunities to pray for someone else. As a result, you are changed and your local church is transformed.

In the pastoral church one man ministers. Very few are trained and equipped. Occasionally someone is sent off to Bible School or seminary to prepare for “The Ministry.” The world is not reached, and the Church barely sustains itself.

In the apostolic Church all are trained and equipped. All discover their call and purpose. All do the work of the ministry, and the Church becomes a mighty army in the earth. The territory is transformed. This is where the new wineskin church is heading.

God’s new wineskin begins as an apostolic movement., it develops the fivefold ministry, but it ultimately results in the “saints movement” where every believer is doing the works of Jesus. God is calling His Church to a new administration and a new understanding of the Body of Christ. He is forming a new wineskin. It is time for the Church to arise. It is time for God’s people to be released into the world to win the lost.