The Power of Five: Part One

I have been reading this book that has been challenging me a lot.  "The Remnant" by Larry Stockstill, pastor of Bethany World Prayer Center in Baton Rouge, LA has a lot of good stuff to say about the power of the five-fold ministry mentioned in Ephesians 4:11.  It's important for each one of these to not only be at work in our individual lives, but at work in our churches as well.  We need these desperately to function in the body of Christ.  Today I want to talk about the function of the Apostle.

The word Apostle could mean "Mentor" or "Father".  The fact is that we live in a fatherless society these days.  Fathers come and go or are totally absent.  This makes our job as pastors hard when trying to portray the image of a "Loving Father" through God.  It's so important for all of us as Christians to find someone to mentor and pour into.  It's important for us as Fathers to love, train and discipline our children.  One of the most powerful things we can do for our kids is to refrain from ever saying things that would hurt them.  We need to be present in their lives.  Show up to games, events, band competitions, etc.  Basically, be a loving parent to our kids.  Remember, Jesus mandated us to make disciples (Mt. 28); therefore, find someone to mentor and father them with excellence.