This book is a clear biblical approach to understanding the gift and ministry of the apostle and their relationship to local elders and other ministries involved in the ongoing work of the ministry. Apostolic oversight and impartation are both essential to the maturation of the body of Messiah. Together they live and serve to train and equip the body of Messiah for the works of service. The Ekklesia must receive and embrace apostolic fathers in order to become all that Yahshua has purposed. Blake Higginbotham is an apostle with a prophetic word for the Ekklesia. He was born again and filled with the Spirit in 1970 and for 37 years has served in several areas of ministry. He and his wife pioneered a work and pastored for 15 years; but now travel apostolically, singing, preaching, teaching and relating to ministers and business men and women both nationally and internationally. They are involved in leadership training and conference speaking on a monthly basis. Blake Higginbotham is a man with a passion for the eternal purpose of Yahweh and believes that he was born to serve the King, therefore nothing else really matters.

The Normal Christian Church Life is a record of messages given during conferences held in Shanghai and Hankow. Watchman Nee spoke to his fellow workers on the principles in the New Testament concerning the practical arrangement of the churches, the ministry, and the work. In his speaking, he honestly examined his own work before the Lord in the light of these principles, provided adjustment and encouragement to his co-workers, and confirmed through personal testimony that the practice of the normal Christian church life revealed in the New Testament can be recovered.

This book represents an almost fifty-year period of both study and practical training in Christian ministry. For the author, Dr. Howard W. Durfee, it has been his life’s work. Howard’s quest for Christian truth began shortly after he was saved by the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. During his study at three of the leading seminaries of the world—Harvard Divinity School, The University of Edinburgh, and Fuller Theological Seminary—Howard was taught that the gifts and ministries of the New Testament had for the most part passed away after the New Testament era. There seemed to be a general confusion about why they had passed away. Regardless of all the theories, the important thing to Howard was that he could find no one in theological schools able to operate in the apostolic or prophetic ministries as described in the New Testament. The biggest shock to Howard was when he found less educated, nonseminary-trained ministers who claimed to be apostles and prophets. The problem was that these less scholarly ministers appeared to have both the gifts and ministries operating with the power of the Holy Spirit. In a search for truth, Howard determined to prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that there could be no modern apostles or prophets. The only problem was that Howard could not disprove the existence of modern apostles or prophets based on the New Testament or on church history. What follows in this book is the result of a lifetime of study on the apostolic ministry. After an introduction by Dr. Chuck Flynn, Howard defends the necessity of modern apostles. He then defines and describes what a New Testament apostle is. Next, Howard describes apostles as leaders to the church. Finally, Howard describes the three major historical functions of the apostolic ministry—to found churches, to govern churches, and to train the other New Testament ministries.

By anchoring your understanding of productivity in God's plan, What's Best Next gives you a practical approach for increasing your effectiveness in everything you do. There are a lot of myths about productivity--what it means to get things done and how to accomplish work that really matters. In our current era of innovation and information overload, it may feel harder than ever to understand the meaning of work or to have a sense of vocation or calling. So how do you get more of the right things done without confusing mere activity for actual productivity? Matt Perman has spent his career helping people learn how to do work in a gospel-centered and effective way. What's Best Next explains his approach to unlocking productivity and fulfillment in work by showing how faith relates to work, even in our everyday grind. What's Best Next is packed with biblical and theological insight and practical counsel that you can put into practice today, such as: How to create a mission statement for your life that's actually practicable. How to delegate to people in a way that really empowers them. How to overcome time killers like procrastination, interruptions, and multitasking by turning them around and making them work for you. How to process workflow efficiently and get your email inbox to zero every day. How to have peace of mind without needing to have everything under control. How generosity is actually the key to unlocking productivity. This expanded edition includes: a new chapter on productivity in a fallen world a new appendix on being more productive with work that requires creative thinking. Productivity isn't just about getting more things done. It's about getting the right things done--the things that count, make a difference, and move the world forward. You can learn how to do work that matters and how to do it well.

It is impossible for the pastor of a church to do all that is needed. Even if they were to try to accomplish this, without giving up their primary calling as disciples of Christ, it would be a futile effort. The ministry of the Church, therefore, is not only the responsibility of the pastor, but the whole company of believers. Elders are ordained to serve with the pastor as shepherds of the congregation, leading and equipping others to serve God, the church, and the community according to their gifts. This book looks to provide a resource for all elders by looking to scripture for an understanding of eldership, defining this ministry for today, and outlining some of the duties that may be asked of them as they serve their local church.

It is absolutely essential that a church perceive itself as an institution for the glory of God, and to do that, claims John MacArthur, the local church must adhere unfalteringly to biblical leadership principles. Christ never intended church leadership to be earned by seniority, purchased with money, or inherited through family ties. He never compared church leaders to governing monarchs, but rather to humble shepherds; not to slick celebrities, but to laboring servants. Drawing from some of the best-received material on church leadership, this updated edition guides the church with crucial, effective lessons in leadership. This book is valuable not only for pastors and elders, but for anyone else who wants the church to be what God intended it to be.

God's Super-Apostles provides a concise entry-level overview of the key teachings and practices of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement. This is a key resource in grasping the significance of this global, confusing, and controversial movement.

At this time and age, God is in the middle of transitioning and doing remarkable things. The moving and restoration of the five fold ministries have and are coming into place in the churches all around the world. Jesus has chosen five specific ministries in which he wants to establish his kingdom, according to Ephesians 4:11, but many refuse to recognize His strategy. They say that it's not for today, but careful attention to scripture helps us unlock that it is for today and that there is a great purpose in his strategy. Pastor Josué Rodriguez dives into why these five fold ministries of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are for today. He will also enrich your understanding of how crucial it is to unlock the strategy of Jesus in moving His Heavenly Kingdom into this natural kingdom.

This book is an attempt to trace and find out the role of apostles and prophets in the Bible, and then share these in a practical way to help the church of today. It distinctively goes beyond the purview of the New Testament into the Old Testament, and some ancient literature, to bring out the wealth and depth of the subject, and then makes a case for it. Among others, this book deals with the call of God, the constitution and functions of a prophet and of an apostle, Spiritual gifts, the difference between apostles and prophets, and how to test the manifestation of the Spirit. One important issue, which this book addresses, is how the leadership of the church dropped from apostles to bishops. You will enjoy reading it.

In Ephesians 4:11, the apostle Paul tells us that Jesus gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to the church. He did this in the days of the New Testament; the question is, does Jesus still give all of them to the church today? This book seeks to address this question. In this book you will find: . The ministries of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers defined. . Names of people in the Bible who held these ministries. . Descriptions of each ministry from a biblical-historical perspective. . An examination of the contemporary expressions of the ministries of evangelists, pastors, and teachers. . Answers to objections about the presence of apostles and prophets in the church today. . A case for the continuance of the ministries of apostles and prophets in the modern church. . A description of the ministries of apostles and prophets in the contemporary church. John P. Lathrop is a graduate of Zion Bible College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is an Ordained Minister with the International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies and is currently active in pastoral ministry at the Christian Pentecostal Church in Newton, MA. In addition to pastoring, he regularly writes for Vista magazine, the official publication of the International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies, and for the Pneuma Review, a publication of the Pneuma Foundation. He has ministered overseas in the countries of Indonesia and Zimbabwe. He and his wife, Cynthia, are the parents of five adult children: Carrie, Joshua, Deborah, Stephen, and Daniel. The Lathrops also have two grandchildren.