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Apostles Today
Transformation of the city was the battle cry in the 1990s. How far have we come since then? How do apostles fit into the urban landscape? How do they line up with God’s plans? C. Peter Wagner has been writing on these subjects for a number of years, and now he brings city transformation and the role of apostles together in one volume. This book is a call for apostles to assume their rightful sphere of authority to see God’s will accomplished here on Earth. Wagner relates his decades of experiences and those of others, showing the role of apostles not only in the traditional Church, but also in the extended Church. Apostles Today offers vision for the role of apostles in healthy churches, workplaces and cities.
- GenresChristian
157 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2002
24 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
C. Peter Wagner
100 books46 followersCharles Peter Wagner (August 15, 1930 – October 21, 2016) was a theologian, missiologist, missionary, writer, teacher, and church growth specialist best known for his highly controversial writings on spiritual warfare.
Wagner served as a missionary in Bolivia under the South American Mission and Andes Evangelical Mission (now SIM International) from 1956 to 1971. He then served for 30 years (1971 to 2001) as Professor of Church Growth at the Fuller Theological Seminary's School of World Missions until his retirement in 2001. He is the author of more than 70 books. He was the president of Global Harvest Ministries from 1993 to 2011 and served as the chancellor emeritus of Wagner Leadership Institute, which trains leaders to join in a movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation, an organization Wagner also helped found. He was also the vice president of Global Spheres, Inc.
Excerpted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Pete...]
Wagner served as a missionary in Bolivia under the South American Mission and Andes Evangelical Mission (now SIM International) from 1956 to 1971. He then served for 30 years (1971 to 2001) as Professor of Church Growth at the Fuller Theological Seminary's School of World Missions until his retirement in 2001. He is the author of more than 70 books. He was the president of Global Harvest Ministries from 1993 to 2011 and served as the chancellor emeritus of Wagner Leadership Institute, which trains leaders to join in a movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation, an organization Wagner also helped found. He was also the vice president of Global Spheres, Inc.
Excerpted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Pete...]
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 17, 2014
remarkably lacking exegesis
If you what an abundance of anecdotes without serious exposition of scripture then this book is for you. Leaps of logic built on pure assumption.
If you what an abundance of anecdotes without serious exposition of scripture then this book is for you. Leaps of logic built on pure assumption.
February 11, 2024
SOME FRANK AND EVEN SURPRISING OBSERVATIONS FROM A NEW ‘APOSTLE’
Former ‘Church Growth’ expert and now prominent leader of the New Apostolic Reformation C. Peter Wagner wrote in the first chapter of this 2006 book, “Are there apostles in our churches today?... apostles are generally seen as figures of a bygone age… this is what most of our church leaders were taught in seminary and Bible school. I know---I was one of them… Consequently, I graduated assuming that apostles did not continue long after the first hundred years or so of the Church. Not so! We are now living in the midst of one of the most epochal changes in the structure of the Church that has ever been recorded. I like to call it the ‘Second Apostolic Age.’ … My studies indicate that it began around the year 2001.” (Pg. 6)
He outlines, “Four notable movements of the Spirit of God have been building the foundation of the Second Apostolic Age for several decades: *The African Independent Churches… The subsequent growth of these churches has far outpaced that of the traditional churches of the region. *The Chinese House Churches… Some estimate that 10 percent of the Chinese are now believers---in spite of a government that is almost violently anti-Christian… *The Latin American Grassroots Churches: Around 1980, the growth of the evangelical … movement in Latin America began to increase exponentially, due to the emergence of grassroots megachurches… *The U.SA. Independent Charismatic Movement:… Pentecostal churches were usually committed to democratically-based church government, whereas independent charismatic churches were apostolic in nature.” (Pg. 7-9)
He continues, “My term … for these churches is the ‘New Apostolic Reformation.’ It is a ‘reformation’ because we are currently witnessing the most radical change in the way of ‘doing church’ since the Protestant Reformation. It is ‘apostolic’ because the recognition of the gift and office of apostle is the most radical of a whole list of changes from the old… And it is ‘new’ to distinguish it from several older traditional church groups that have incorporated the term ‘apostolic’ into their official name.” (Pg. 9)
He states, “I think that we can discern God’s logic in bringing intercessors and prophets on the scene before apostles…Although we can all hear from God, the prophets are the most specifically designated individuals to hear God’s voice. It is their role to receive and make known the divine messages directed to God’s people… It is the apostles, working hand in hand with prophets, who have the task of setting in order and implementing what God wants done on Earth in a certain season.” (Pg. 15)
He raises “the question as to whether the current apostolic movement is in danger of sputtering like the last one did. I don’t believe it will, based on four observations:” *We have learned from the mistakes of the pioneers… *This movement was preceded by the ministry of intercessors and prophets, who are now part of its shaping and development.. *The growing library of substantial books on different aspects of apostolic ministry… is highly impressive… *Apostolic accountability has been heightened by the formation of many units of apostles who are holding themselves accountable to peers for their ministry and their character.” (Pg. 17-18)
He acknowledges, “There are false apostles and false pastors and false teachers out there who may be self-appointed, but in this book I address only TRUE apostles, not false ones. God’s decision to make an individual an apostle must be recognized and affirmed by real people.” (Pg. 25)
He begins to outline, “The following twelve biblical characteristics are collective building blocks of apostles ‘setting things in order,’ which is part of the basic definition of apostle: 1. SEEING JESUS PERSONALLY: Of course the original 12 saw Jesus, but so did Paul… According to an informal survey of the apostles whom I know today, about 20 percent have actually seen Jesus personally.” (Pg. 30-31)
He states, “I now believe that it is possible to live without sin, one day at a time. Holiness is not merely some desirable but elusive ideal. Holiness is an attainable personal quality… I think we can presume that God would not require us to do something that is impossible for us to do, such as being holy in all---not some, not most---of our conduct. When I say that we can live without sin, I am not saying that anyone can ever get to the place where it is not POSSIBLE to sin. Yes, it is possible, even probable, that each one of us will sin… However, when we do sin, we confess the sin and God forgives us and cleanses us.” (Pg. 40)
He asserts, “Although I admit that I am generalizing, traditional evangelical leaders seem to have a better understanding of the biblical teaching on spiritual gifts than do the apostles and teachers of the New Apostolic Reformation… this will undoubtedly seem strange because the large majority of apostles would see themselves as ‘charismatic,’ which means that they base a good part of their self-identity on the fact that they move in the ‘charisma’ … Consequently, spiritual gifts are highly important to virtually every apostle… I suspect that it will surprise many of them, and even upset some, to read in a book like this that someone like me feels their theology of spiritual gifts might be faulty. So, let me explain… Why are many of the new apostolic churches weak on spiritual gifts? New apostolic churches, for the most part, are rooted in the independent charismatic movement that began around 1970… [which] are generally rooted in classical Pentecostalism…. Ironically two serious flaws crept into their understanding of the operation of spiritual gifts. The first flaw was that the number of spiritual gifts was only nine. The second flaw was the SITUATIONAL view of spiritual gifts as opposed to the CONSTITUTIONAL view.” (Pg. 48, 51)
He states, “The Pentecostal view of tongues is that every believer has a ROLE of speaking in tongues at least once, as the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. In my view, however, this does not necessarily have to be attributed to the spiritual GIFT of tongues.” (Pg. 55)
He recounts, “The first prophetic word I received that I had the anointing of an apostle came through Cindy Jacobs in July 1995, and the second through an intercessor, Margaret Moberly, two months later… Early in 1998 God spoke to me again, this time in a public meeting through Prophet Jim Stevens. I then had no doubt that I would have to go public, but still I was not yet ready. My hesitation came from the fact that I didn’t know what kind of an apostle I was. It was only later that year that I began to understand different kinds of apostolic spheres. Once I could define my sphere of authority, I was ready to accept the title and receive the divine power that accompanied it. I knew that I wasn’t a vertical apostle like most of my apostolic friends… freedom came as soon as I captured the concept of horizontal apostles. When I knew that I was a horizontal apostle, I was ready to accept the title.” (Pg. 69-70)
He explains, ‘vertical apostles … [have] a network to which they provided apostolic oversight… their authority … was also recognized by their followers… Vertical apostles are so common that… it had never occurred to me that there might be other kinds of apostles… Horizontal apostles … do not have churches or ministries or individuals under them for whom they furnish primary spiritual accountability. Rather, they serve peer-level leaders in helping them to connect with each other for different purposes.” (Pg. 78-79) Later, he adds, “Foundational apostles are those who move out to take new territory. They are boundary breakers… Paul would have been a foundational apostle… Reformational apostles, on the other hand, move in to regain territory once claimed by foundational apostles but that was mostly or partially lost over time… Christian history would include men such as Martin Luther, John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards…” (Pg. 89)
He reports, “I was sitting in a meeting in which the power of God had fallen. I was startled when the word of God came to me: ‘Take authority over mad cow disease!’ … By the time I got to the platform… I broke down into an embarrassing fit of weeping and sobbing. I then took my apostolic authority and decreed that mad cow disease would come to an end in Europe and the UK. The whole assembly noisily agreed with me… That was October 1, 2001. A month later a friend of mine sent me a newspaper article from England saying that… the last reported case of mad cow disease had been on September 30, 2001, the day before the apostolic decree! By sharing this, I am not implying that when apostles hear the word of God clearly and … decree His will, history can change…” (Pg. 83)
He admits, “It looked to many of us as if the 1990s would see tangible answers to the prayer ‘Thy kingdom come’ in city after city. But it didn’t happen. In fact, after now more than 15 years of intense effort, it would be difficult to pinpoint a city or even a smaller community in America that has been transformed… One result of his is that we seem to be experiencing some disturbing sort of transformation fatigue, with some leaders beginning to throw their hands up in despair…” (Pg.. 123)
This book will be of great interest to anyone studying the New Apostolic Reformation.
Former ‘Church Growth’ expert and now prominent leader of the New Apostolic Reformation C. Peter Wagner wrote in the first chapter of this 2006 book, “Are there apostles in our churches today?... apostles are generally seen as figures of a bygone age… this is what most of our church leaders were taught in seminary and Bible school. I know---I was one of them… Consequently, I graduated assuming that apostles did not continue long after the first hundred years or so of the Church. Not so! We are now living in the midst of one of the most epochal changes in the structure of the Church that has ever been recorded. I like to call it the ‘Second Apostolic Age.’ … My studies indicate that it began around the year 2001.” (Pg. 6)
He outlines, “Four notable movements of the Spirit of God have been building the foundation of the Second Apostolic Age for several decades: *The African Independent Churches… The subsequent growth of these churches has far outpaced that of the traditional churches of the region. *The Chinese House Churches… Some estimate that 10 percent of the Chinese are now believers---in spite of a government that is almost violently anti-Christian… *The Latin American Grassroots Churches: Around 1980, the growth of the evangelical … movement in Latin America began to increase exponentially, due to the emergence of grassroots megachurches… *The U.SA. Independent Charismatic Movement:… Pentecostal churches were usually committed to democratically-based church government, whereas independent charismatic churches were apostolic in nature.” (Pg. 7-9)
He continues, “My term … for these churches is the ‘New Apostolic Reformation.’ It is a ‘reformation’ because we are currently witnessing the most radical change in the way of ‘doing church’ since the Protestant Reformation. It is ‘apostolic’ because the recognition of the gift and office of apostle is the most radical of a whole list of changes from the old… And it is ‘new’ to distinguish it from several older traditional church groups that have incorporated the term ‘apostolic’ into their official name.” (Pg. 9)
He states, “I think that we can discern God’s logic in bringing intercessors and prophets on the scene before apostles…Although we can all hear from God, the prophets are the most specifically designated individuals to hear God’s voice. It is their role to receive and make known the divine messages directed to God’s people… It is the apostles, working hand in hand with prophets, who have the task of setting in order and implementing what God wants done on Earth in a certain season.” (Pg. 15)
He raises “the question as to whether the current apostolic movement is in danger of sputtering like the last one did. I don’t believe it will, based on four observations:” *We have learned from the mistakes of the pioneers… *This movement was preceded by the ministry of intercessors and prophets, who are now part of its shaping and development.. *The growing library of substantial books on different aspects of apostolic ministry… is highly impressive… *Apostolic accountability has been heightened by the formation of many units of apostles who are holding themselves accountable to peers for their ministry and their character.” (Pg. 17-18)
He acknowledges, “There are false apostles and false pastors and false teachers out there who may be self-appointed, but in this book I address only TRUE apostles, not false ones. God’s decision to make an individual an apostle must be recognized and affirmed by real people.” (Pg. 25)
He begins to outline, “The following twelve biblical characteristics are collective building blocks of apostles ‘setting things in order,’ which is part of the basic definition of apostle: 1. SEEING JESUS PERSONALLY: Of course the original 12 saw Jesus, but so did Paul… According to an informal survey of the apostles whom I know today, about 20 percent have actually seen Jesus personally.” (Pg. 30-31)
He states, “I now believe that it is possible to live without sin, one day at a time. Holiness is not merely some desirable but elusive ideal. Holiness is an attainable personal quality… I think we can presume that God would not require us to do something that is impossible for us to do, such as being holy in all---not some, not most---of our conduct. When I say that we can live without sin, I am not saying that anyone can ever get to the place where it is not POSSIBLE to sin. Yes, it is possible, even probable, that each one of us will sin… However, when we do sin, we confess the sin and God forgives us and cleanses us.” (Pg. 40)
He asserts, “Although I admit that I am generalizing, traditional evangelical leaders seem to have a better understanding of the biblical teaching on spiritual gifts than do the apostles and teachers of the New Apostolic Reformation… this will undoubtedly seem strange because the large majority of apostles would see themselves as ‘charismatic,’ which means that they base a good part of their self-identity on the fact that they move in the ‘charisma’ … Consequently, spiritual gifts are highly important to virtually every apostle… I suspect that it will surprise many of them, and even upset some, to read in a book like this that someone like me feels their theology of spiritual gifts might be faulty. So, let me explain… Why are many of the new apostolic churches weak on spiritual gifts? New apostolic churches, for the most part, are rooted in the independent charismatic movement that began around 1970… [which] are generally rooted in classical Pentecostalism…. Ironically two serious flaws crept into their understanding of the operation of spiritual gifts. The first flaw was that the number of spiritual gifts was only nine. The second flaw was the SITUATIONAL view of spiritual gifts as opposed to the CONSTITUTIONAL view.” (Pg. 48, 51)
He states, “The Pentecostal view of tongues is that every believer has a ROLE of speaking in tongues at least once, as the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. In my view, however, this does not necessarily have to be attributed to the spiritual GIFT of tongues.” (Pg. 55)
He recounts, “The first prophetic word I received that I had the anointing of an apostle came through Cindy Jacobs in July 1995, and the second through an intercessor, Margaret Moberly, two months later… Early in 1998 God spoke to me again, this time in a public meeting through Prophet Jim Stevens. I then had no doubt that I would have to go public, but still I was not yet ready. My hesitation came from the fact that I didn’t know what kind of an apostle I was. It was only later that year that I began to understand different kinds of apostolic spheres. Once I could define my sphere of authority, I was ready to accept the title and receive the divine power that accompanied it. I knew that I wasn’t a vertical apostle like most of my apostolic friends… freedom came as soon as I captured the concept of horizontal apostles. When I knew that I was a horizontal apostle, I was ready to accept the title.” (Pg. 69-70)
He explains, ‘vertical apostles … [have] a network to which they provided apostolic oversight… their authority … was also recognized by their followers… Vertical apostles are so common that… it had never occurred to me that there might be other kinds of apostles… Horizontal apostles … do not have churches or ministries or individuals under them for whom they furnish primary spiritual accountability. Rather, they serve peer-level leaders in helping them to connect with each other for different purposes.” (Pg. 78-79) Later, he adds, “Foundational apostles are those who move out to take new territory. They are boundary breakers… Paul would have been a foundational apostle… Reformational apostles, on the other hand, move in to regain territory once claimed by foundational apostles but that was mostly or partially lost over time… Christian history would include men such as Martin Luther, John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards…” (Pg. 89)
He reports, “I was sitting in a meeting in which the power of God had fallen. I was startled when the word of God came to me: ‘Take authority over mad cow disease!’ … By the time I got to the platform… I broke down into an embarrassing fit of weeping and sobbing. I then took my apostolic authority and decreed that mad cow disease would come to an end in Europe and the UK. The whole assembly noisily agreed with me… That was October 1, 2001. A month later a friend of mine sent me a newspaper article from England saying that… the last reported case of mad cow disease had been on September 30, 2001, the day before the apostolic decree! By sharing this, I am not implying that when apostles hear the word of God clearly and … decree His will, history can change…” (Pg. 83)
He admits, “It looked to many of us as if the 1990s would see tangible answers to the prayer ‘Thy kingdom come’ in city after city. But it didn’t happen. In fact, after now more than 15 years of intense effort, it would be difficult to pinpoint a city or even a smaller community in America that has been transformed… One result of his is that we seem to be experiencing some disturbing sort of transformation fatigue, with some leaders beginning to throw their hands up in despair…” (Pg.. 123)
This book will be of great interest to anyone studying the New Apostolic Reformation.
July 1, 2012
If you want to know more about what a apostle was and is then this book is for you. This book is a great resource: Wagner details certain qualifications of an apostle as well as what they look like (how they may operate) in the church - both gathered and scattered. He also shares how apostles have certain areas of influence that they preside over/lead and that not all apostles will minister or lead in the same way. Some apostles are leaders in the scattered church such as in the business/workplace arena; this was a concept that I had been exposed to before. Other apostles are "horizontal"; they bring people or groups together for specific purposes that benefit the church. There is a wealth of information in this book and it is backed up with many scriptures. The spiritual gift of apostle is given for the benefit of the church and as Wagner contends, God is still giving this gift today. May we be faithful in our gifting and recognize how God has gifted and called each one of his children.
March 4, 2016
Good book on the description of what a modern day Apostle is.
November 3, 2023
Don't bother reading unless you want to see where the term the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) came from. Wagner asserts that the gift and office of apostle (and prophet) are for today just as they were in biblical times, but does not present a serious biblical attempt to persuade you. I suspect the target audience for his book was other charismatics and pentecostals whose views of church government, theology and praxis are receptive to what he claims to be true.
His view of church history and suggestion that Anselm of Canterbury, Martin of Tours, John Wyclif, Martin Luther, John Knox, John Wesley, D.L. Moody and others were "apostles"—as he defines what constitutes an apostle—is revisionist and based on his theological prism.
Wagner asserts we are now in a "Second Apostolic Age," and the form the church is taking on can be called the New Apostolic Reformation. I don't think so. And he is leading many down the wrong path. Apostles are not for today.
His view of church history and suggestion that Anselm of Canterbury, Martin of Tours, John Wyclif, Martin Luther, John Knox, John Wesley, D.L. Moody and others were "apostles"—as he defines what constitutes an apostle—is revisionist and based on his theological prism.
Wagner asserts we are now in a "Second Apostolic Age," and the form the church is taking on can be called the New Apostolic Reformation. I don't think so. And he is leading many down the wrong path. Apostles are not for today.
September 7, 2023
Helpful and Thorough
I’ve heard a lot of criticism of the NAR “New Apostolic Reformation” so I wanted to give this book a read. It’s a very helpful book in understanding the beliefs of Churches who are a part of this movement and it also is inspiring for someone like myself who works for a
Multi-denominational movement and desires to see a move of God in every area of our city.
I’ve heard a lot of criticism of the NAR “New Apostolic Reformation” so I wanted to give this book a read. It’s a very helpful book in understanding the beliefs of Churches who are a part of this movement and it also is inspiring for someone like myself who works for a
Multi-denominational movement and desires to see a move of God in every area of our city.
July 1, 2012
If you want to know more about what a apostle was and is then this book is for you. This book is a great resource: Wagner details certain qualifications of an apostle as well as what they look like (how they may operate) in the church - both gathered and scattered. He also shares how apostles have certain areas of influence that they preside over/lead and that not all apostles will minister or lead in the same way. Some apostles are leaders in the scattered church such as in the business/workplace arena; this was a concept that I had been exposed to before. Other apostles are "horizontal"; they bring people or groups together for specific purposes that benefit the church. There is a wealth of information in this book and it is backed up with many scriptures. The spiritual gift of apostle is given for the benefit of the church and as Wagner contends, God is still giving this gift today. May we be faithful in our gifting and recognize how God has gifted and called each one of his children.
--Curtis
--Curtis
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews