End Times Witnessing: The End of the Ages Calling & Sending

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

   Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. ²Here are the names of the twelve apostles:

   first, Simon (also called Peter),
   then Andrew (Peter’s brother),
   James (son of Zebedee),
   John (James’s brother),
 ³ Philip,
   Bartholomew,
   Thomas,
   Matthew (the tax collector),
   James (son of Alphaeus),
   Thaddaeus,
 ⁴ Simon (the zealot),
   Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

 ⁵ Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, ⁶ but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep. ⁷ Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. ⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!

 ⁹ “Don’t take any money in your money belts—no gold, silver, or even copper coins. ¹⁰Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed.

 ¹¹ “Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy person and stay in his home until you leave town. ¹² When you enter the home, give it your blessing. ¹³ If it turns out to be a worthy home, let your blessing stand; if it is not, take back the blessing. ¹⁴ If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave. ¹⁵I tell you the truth, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off than such a town on the judgment day.

 ¹⁶ “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. ¹⁷ But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. ¹⁸ You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me. ¹⁹ When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. ²⁰For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

 ²¹ “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. ²² And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved. ²³ When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the truth, the Son of Manwill return before you have reached all the towns of Israel.

 ²⁴ “Students are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master. ²⁵ Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons,the members of my household will be called by even worse names!

 ²⁶ “But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. ²⁷What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!

 ²⁸ “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. ³⁰ And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. ³¹So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

 ³² “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. ³³But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.

 ³⁴ “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.

 ³⁵ ‘I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
      ³⁶ Your enemies will be right in your own household!’

³⁷ “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. ³⁸ If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. ³⁹If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

 ⁴⁰ “Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me. ⁴¹ If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs. ⁴² And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”

End Times Church Count Down: Apostles & Seers, Read Acts 20!

Today’s message is for high level prophets, seers and Apostles. The watchman started to intercede for the senior intercessors (seer-prophets/apostles level) and to his surprise he was led to read some very disturbing passages in the Bible: Job 4:3-6, 12-19; 1 Cor.15; Acts 20.

His reading was right after he finished praying for them. during the prayers he was led to using words like “consolidate”, “circuit”, “strengthen”, “share visions and missions afresh”, “give end times preparation directions (practical stratgies). In his spirit he saw Samuel going round the major cities (bases) minstering to his people, Paul and John going to churches planted or helped built up by them, encouraging, exhorting, sharing visions and goals, entrusting to the elders to carry on what they had initiated.

After he finished praying he asked the Lord to give confirmation to what he had just prayed. He was led to read Jobs, then 1 Cor.15, and finally Acts 20. When he read Jobs he was disturbed because he hardly knew the national leaders and he hardly knew what to pray for them. But it was clear that they did not visit them except for yearly rally (which had been stopped) and some ‘daughter’ churches had gone through tumultuous situations in recent years.

Job 4:3-6  ³ “In the past you have encouraged many people;
      you have strengthened those who were weak.
 ⁴ Your words have supported those who were falling;
      you encouraged those with shaky knees.
 ⁵ But now when trouble strikes, you lose heart.
      You are terrified when it touches you.
 ⁶ Doesn’t your reverence for God give you confidence?
      Doesn’t your life of integrity give you hope?

Acts 20 confirmed the urgent and even dire needs of ‘daughter’ churches further by the example of Paul visiting his churches before he left finally for Jerusalem to face an arrest and imprisonment in Rome later.

There is a spiritual authority issue here. The daughter churches are covered by a mother church and the most senior intercessor leader (the spiritual leader of the mother church, representing the spiritual strongman of the house). The churches were built upon the vision of the initial ‘leader’. Although some blievers in the daughter churches see visions, dream dreams and hear from the Lord (Holy Spirit), they see in parts. The overall big picture is revealed to the ‘leader’. The ‘leader’ has the responsibility of standing in the gap and provides coverings for all her ‘daughters’.

When the watchman sees this spiritual implication, he understands why Paul and Samuel spent all their working life going round their ‘churches’ in addition to interceding for them. After Paul was martyred John continued to stay in Ephesian church and mentor the younger disciples until he too left this world.

There was a touching parting scene in Acts 20 describing the Ephesian elders meeting with Paul at a place called Miletus. Paul shared with them his visions ahead, affrmed and entrusted them to God and their corporate reponsibility. Paul’s brief statement contained the following important facts:

1. His vision & mission: “I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. Jail and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus.”

2. His prophecy on their future together: “I know none of you will ever see me again.”

3. His exhortation: “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock -His church, purchased with His own blood.”

4. His affirmation of their spiritual authority: “Over which (the church) the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders.”

5. His warning about the future: “I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. ³⁰ Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.”

6. His instruction to follow his personal example: “Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you—my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you.”

7. His encouragement: “And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.”

Why read 1 Cor.15? It is all about resurrection and transformation of the mortal bodies into immortal bodies. It also brings out the uncompromising fact: all human die one day. This ties with Jobs 4:17-19 as follows:

¹⁷ ‘Can a mortal be innocent before God? Can anyone be pure before the Creator?’  ¹⁸ “If God does not trust his own angels and has charged his messengers with foolishness, ¹⁹ how much less will he trust people made of clay! They are made of dust, crushed as easily as a moth.

All apostolic leaders must accept the fact like Paul did that one day they have to depart from this world or they could lose their physical freedom by imprisonment. The message today is to strenghten your ‘daughters’ (some of whom are mere spiritual babies!). Remember how Paul kept reinforcing his churches spiritually and using his spiritual authority to cover (protect) them.

Paul’s churches were Spirit-filled and led by the Spirit in many ways. But he remained watchful, prayerful and in constant communication with them as intercessor and as the spiritual strongman providing overall cover against the evil spiritual power until he considered his assignment completed and left this world.

The watchman only sees in parts and thus speaks in parts. He prays that the spiritual strongmen for most houses of God see a bigger picture and know more accurately what the Lord has required them to do at the time. He also prays that those who still do not see or know now wake from their slumber (or cast off the distraction spirit) and ask the Lord for the direction of the time and obey.