Of the five offices of the Five-Fold Ministry, the least understood and most mis-taught is that of the Apostle. At this point in the growth process of the church, many go about claiming to be Apostles. Very few truly are. Many ministries teach that an Apostle is merely someone who plants churches. Nothing could be further from the truth. A careful study of the Book of Acts and the Epistles of Paul clearly point to the following credentials for someone to be an Apostle:

(1) A personal commissioning experience from Jesus Christ

(2) A consistent signs, wonders and miracles ministry

(3) The ability to lay hands on and transmit the Baptism Of the Holy Spirit

(4) The ability to move someone from death to life, and, conversely, from death to life

For Scriptural confirmation of these points, please refer to our course curriculum in our School Of the Apostles and Prophets (SOAP). Church planting, so often associated with the office of the Apostle, actually belongs to the office of the Evangelist, according to the Book of Acts. The Apostle is the enforcer in the Body of Christ. He brings ultimate authority to enforce the doctrines and conduct associated with the Gospel. Without the warning issued by the Prophet and the enforcement issued by the Apostle, the body of Christ is a shallow, selfish, rebellious child, unable to receive correction and unable to grow into full Christian maturity. Very few are truly Apostles in the church today. The return of Jesus Christ cannot occur until the office of the Apostle is fully operational and in place, just as Ephesians 4 states.