LIVING ON THE RESURRECTION SIDE OF THE CROSS

Throughout history the Church has emphasized the passion, the sufferings, and the death of Christ on the Cross, and thus highlighting the sufferings and sorrow of earthly existence. This is well and good, but we must not park there. There is the other side of the Cross—the Resurrection side—that we must embrace and live in.

On the suffering side of the Cross, the disciples of Jesus, as depicted in the Gospels, are dull, fearful, and selfish, even arguing over who will be the greatest in the kingdom. On the Resurrection side of the Cross, as depicted in Acts, everything has changed. They are now alive, insightful, and fearless as they proclaim the Good News of Jesus and His Resurrection. They are living on the Resurrection side of the Cross.

I have preached the funerals of my father, my mother, and two brothers. In each case, I experienced, not just a sense of comfort, but a sense of jubilant triumph because of the Resurrection of Jesus. Living on the Resurrection side of the Cross makes all the difference in the world when facing death.

Living on the Resurrection side of the Cross also makes all the difference when facing devastating situations in life. In the early days of our marriage and ministry, Sue and I lost everything, including a place to live. A God-given vision and ministry seemed to have died.

One day, however, as we prayed, the Holy Spirit rose up in me and began praying through me in tongues. I could actually feel His presence flowing up from my spirit and out through my mouth. All the time this was happening I was hearing these words, “Don’t be afraid of death because I Am the Resurrection.”

I immediately recalled that these were the words Jesus spoke to Martha at the tomb of Lazarus after He had said to her, “Your brother will live again.” Martha had replied, “I know He will live again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus then said, “I Am the Resurrection” and proceeded to raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11:23-25).

Through this encounter, God was calling me to live on the Resurrection side of the Cross. I also realized for the first time that the Resurrection is more than just a past or future event. The Resurrection has been personified in the person of Jesus Christ. Our resurrected Lord is now living in His people through the person and power of the Holy Spirit.

After the above experience, we listened, persevered, and took a step of faith. A Catholic brother whom we had never met was sent our way and made a building available to us. We opened the doors, and a powerful revival broke out. The building quickly filled to capacity with standing room only. Out of death, Resurrection life had burst forth!

The New Testament Church knew nothing of an Easter Sunday. They did not celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus once per year. Read Acts! They were consumed with the reality that Jesus was alive and His Resurrection was the center of their life and the daily focus of their witness and preaching. They lived on the Resurrection side of the Cross.

I pray that this Resurrection season the modern Church will experience a renewed vision of the significance and magnitude of Christ’s Resurrection. I pray that once again the people of God will live on the Resurrection side of the Cross.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, revivalist, Bible teacher, and church historian. This article is derived from his books, Discovering the Real Jesus and Why I Believe in God, both available from amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.   

 

WHAT WE CAN LEARN ABOUT EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE FROM CHARLIE KIRK AND PAUL

In my opinion, Charlie Kirk is the most effective practitioner of spiritual warfare in America today. He utilizes an approach that is almost absent from the modern church but is clearly laid out by Paul in his 2^nd letter to the Corinthians. It is also the method Paul used with great success in the pagan, idolatrous city of Ephesus.

This approach to spiritual warfare amounts to what I call “dismantling false belief systems.” This approach is clearly delineated by Paul in II Corinthians 10:4-5 where he says,

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God . . ..

False Belief Systems Must be Dismantled

The English word “imaginations” in this passage is a poor translation of the Greek word logismous, which refers to a way of thinking or a belief system. This is why the NKJV and NIV translate the word as “arguments” and Thayer’s Greek English Lexicon defines it as “reasonings such as are hostile to the Christian faith.”

The Greek word for “casting down” is kathairesin and is a very intense word. It means to “take down” or “demolish” or “dismantle.”

Paul is here saying that we are to dismantle those false belief systems by which Satan holds people, cities, churches, and nations in bondage. We have a model of how this can happen in Luke’s account of Paul’s ministry in the pagan, idolatrous city of Ephesus

Paul’s Modus Operandi in Ephesus

Ephesus was a very idolatrous and occultic city. It was home of the massive and ornate temple of the famous mother goddess, called Diana by the Romans and Artemis by the Greeks. Luke says that Paul, during his time in Ephesus, spent two years reasoning daily in a public lecture hall known as the school of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9-10). This was his approach to spiritual warfare in Ephesus.

The word “reasoning” in this passage is from the Greek word dialegomenos and it means to “dialogue” or “reason.” This indicates that Paul gave time and space for people to comment, challenge and ask questions about his message. He did this because he knew that if there was to be ultimate change in their lives, he would have to dismantle their present belief system or way of thinking.

Paul was aware that Satan has no real power for he suffered absolute and total defeat through the cross, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Satan’s only power is in lies and deceptions. That is why Jesus referred to Satan as a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44b) and Revelation 12:9 refers to him as, that serpent of old, the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. 

Paul would have been aware of the words of Jesus in John 8:32, You shall know the truth and the truth shall make your free. This is why he would dialogue with these pagans for hours per day, every day. It was not enough to preach a feel-good sermon and have those interested to repeat a prayer and fill out a card. They must be given a whole new way of thinking. By dismantling their false belief systems, Satan would no longer be able to hold them in bondage.

His method worked for eventually people began bringing their books of sorcery and magic, piled them up and burned them publicly. Luke says the cost of the books was 50,000 pieces of silver, an enormous sum of money, which shows the dramatic change taking place in their thinking.

The economy, which was based on the tourism related to the temple of Diana, also began to collapse. This all happened because Paul spent two years dismantling their false belief systems.

Charlie Kirk’s Approach is Like Paul’s

Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) goes to university campuses, not to entertain or to be liked by the students, but to dialogue with them and challenge their worldview. His approach is like Paul’s in Ephesus and is very effective. In fact, he is credited with turning the youth vote to Donald Trump and helping put him in the White House.

Charlie is a devout follower of Jesus and is not shy about defending his faith but does not go to a university campus to preach a sermon. With the university’s permission, he will set up a sound system in the open air with his own microphone and a microphone for the audience. He then invites students to make their case for transgenderism, atheism, support for Hamas, hatred for Trump, etc.  

With thousands of students gathered, the dialogue begins. He listens but politely interjects, challenges, and dismantles their false belief system in front of the other students. The results are amazing and similar to the results of Paul’s dialogues in Ephesus. With false belief systems being dismantled, Satan is losing his hold on the younger generation.

Thousands are now attending these dialogues on secular campuses and TPUSA chapters are springing up on campuses across the land. Politically liberal students are becoming conservative and Christian students are getting what many never got from their local churches—a rational belief system that equips them to defend their Christian worldview.

The results remind us of those described by Luke concerning Paul’s daily dialogues in Ephesus. He wrote, And this continued for two years, so that all of Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks (Acts 19:10).

The Lesson for the Modern Church

The lesson for the modern churches is that we must be more than entertainment centers. There is a place for good Christian entertainment, but we will not hold the youth by merely entertaining them. We must be about the business of making disciples and preparing them to dismantle the false belief systems that Satan is using to hold the masses in his grasp.  

In other words, this is no time for a consumer-friendly approach. This is no time to be overly concerned about offending people and being “liked” by contemporary culture. It's time for Christians in America, and the world, to rise up, take the truth of God’s word, and dismantle the false belief systems that Satan using to hold this generation in his grasp.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is the founder of the "1726 Project" and the author of numerous books on Biblical issues and revival history, including his book, 1726, which documents how the First Great Awakening gave birth to America and ignited an Abolition movement that eventually brought about the end of slavery. These books are available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.

WHY AMERICA'S FOUNDERS WOULD BE APPALLED AT JUDGE BOASBERG'S GRAB FOR POWER

On Wednesday, Federal District Judge, James Boasberg, continued his unprecedented grab for power by ruling that “probable cause exists” to hold Trump administration officials in “criminal contempt” for violating his orders in mid-March to halt the deportation of Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador.

Steve Vladeck, a professor at the University of Georgetown School of Law, admitted that such a move is odd, saying, “Holding federal executive branch officials in criminal contempt is just about unheard of.”

America’s founding generation would be stunned by such a grab for power by an unelected individual. They all harbored a deep mistrust of human nature and feared governmental power falling into the wrong hands. In the most popular book of that era, Common Sense, the author, Thomas Paine, wrote, “Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.”

The Biblical Basis of the American Republic
"Fallen Humanity Cannot be Trusted with Power"

America's Founders would all agree with C. S. Lewis who said, “Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows." Because they believed human nature to be flawed because of original sin, they formed a government that would keep power out of the hands of any one person or group of persons. 

Whereas modern liberalism claims that human nature is essentially good and that people only need a change of environment and circumstances to improve their behavior, the Founders held no such utopian view of the human condition. "Take mankind in general," said Alexander Hamilton, "they are vicious." James Madison added, "If men were angels, no government would be necessary."

The historian, Benjamin Hart, wrote, "A central assumption of America's Founders was original sin, meaning the corruption of man's character." (Hyatt, America's Revival Heritage, Second Edition, 95). They, therefore, divided the powers of government into three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial.

As another check on power, the Founders, in Section 1, Article 9 of the Constitution, forbade the government from issuing honorific titles of nobility and they forbade any government employee from receiving such a title from a foreign state apart from an act of Congress. In Section 10, they forbade the states from issuing honorific titles of nobility. 

In other words, they outlawed aristocracy in America. The Founders would all agree with Sir John Dalberg-Acton who said, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” 

Power Resides with the People

The Founders envisioned a government wherein power resides with the people, not a king, an aristocracy, or unelected judges. This is why the U.S. Constitution begins with the words, “We the people . . ..” Abraham Lincoln described America’s government as being “of the people, by the people and for the people.”

Since power is to reside with the people, laws are to be passed by the representatives of the people in Congress—the legislative branch. The president—the executive branch—is to execute and enforce those laws passed by the representatives of the people. Judges—the judiciary branch—are to interpret and apply those same laws to individual cases that come before them.

District judgeships are not in the Constitution. They were created by Congress to take the load off the Supreme Court by dealing with cases in their district. Judges were never meant to make rulings that apply across the board to the entire country. However, that is exactly what is happening as unelected judges legislate from the bench and overturn the will of “we the people.” 

Donald Trump was elected by the people of the United States, and the president is the only government official elected by all the people. If successful, the the actions of Judge Boasberg would completely undermine the American system of government wherein power lies with "we the people."

The Way Forward from Here

Jesus clearly taught that leadership is to be characterized by humble service, not pompous power, and America's Founders wholeheartedly agreed. This is why George Washington exhorted the governors of the various states to pattern their lives after Jesus (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 120).

This is why Washington and all the Founders would be appalled at an unelected official's arrogant reach for power over the president and executive branch. Their view of leadership was based on Christian teachings, which eschews such pursuits of power. This is why Dr. Michael Novak wrote,

Far from having a hostility toward religion, the Founders counted on religion [Christianity] for the underlying philosophy of the republic, its supporting ethic, and its reliable source of rejuvenation (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 171).

This is a critical moment in time when we, as the church, must be about our primary calling of being “salt” and “light” to this generation, calling the nation back to God, rebuking the ungodly pursuits of power, and directing the people to pray and expect another Great Awakening to revive and renew the church and the nation.

This article was derived from the books 1726: The Year that Defined America and America's Revival Heritage (Second Edition) by Eddie L. Hyatt and available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com

HOLY WEEK - CONSUMED BY HOLY FIRE

This is “Holy Week” on the Christian calendar--the time between Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, and Easter Sunday when He arose from the dead after being crucified. That first Holy Week was a very tumultuous time when passions burned white hot in both Jesus and His opponents. 

During that week, we see in Jesus the Biblical truth that God experiences the full range of emotions that humans feel. Throughout Scripture, He expresses love, compassion, sadness, and anger. Jesus, however, is never controlled by emotion. The white-hot emotions we see in Jesus during Holy Week express the seriousness of His mission and the serious consequences for those who reject Him. 

Jesus Weeps in Love at the Plight of Jerusalem

For example, as Jesus neared the city of Jerusalem and and it came into view from the Mount of Olives, He began to weep and lament with great sadness. His sadness was rooted in His love for this beloved city of David, the center of Judaism, where so many prophets had prophesied. His heart was broken because He  knew the city was going to reject Him--their long-awaited Messiah--and suffer dire consequences. As the tears flow freely, He laments, saying,

If you had known, even you, especially in this your day the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you and your children within you to the ground . . . because you did not know the time of your visitation (Luke 19:41-44)

Later in this same week, He laments again, crying out, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings but you were not willing. See! Your house is left to you desolate."

What Jesus prophesied took place around 40 years later when the Roman general, Titus, led an army to the city to put down a revolt that had arisen against Roman rule. The Romans built an embankment, as Jesus predicted, laid siege to the city and eventually broke through the walls. They razed and destroyed both the city and the temple. Tens of thousands were killed, enslaved, and executed.

No wonder Jesus wept! His sadness, however, was soon turned to anger as He entered the city and observed how the temple worship had been turned into a money-making racket.

Temple Worship Turned into a Money-Making Racket

The temple of Jesus’ day had become a center of unethical business practices and underhanded dealings. Because Jewish pilgrims who came to worship at the temple needed animals for sacrifices, local businessmen with $$$ in their eyes had set up shop selling the required lambs, goats, doves, etc. that the Law required. However, they were charging exorbitant prices for these sacrificial animals and getting rich off their sales.

Also, since purchases and offerings at the temple could not be made with foreign coins with pagan images, other entrepreneurs with similar monetary motives had set up shop and were ripping off foreign worshippers of the Diaspora by charging exorbitant exchange rates for the Hebrew shekel.

The religious leaders, who oversaw the temple worship, were getting their cut of this flow of tainted money. It was a repulsive and nauseating situation.

This made Jesus Angry

Jesus’ anger burned white hot as He observed this monetary racket, and He began to take action. The unreal picture of a “nice” Jesus who would never oppose or condemn anyone dissolves before our eyes in this stunning Gospel account.

With a whip in His hand and eyes blazing, Jesus entered the temple area and began turning over the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold sacrificial offerings. He drove them all out of the temple and shouted, It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” but you have made it a den of thieves (Matthew 21:13).

I am here reminded of a startling statement made by Rios Mont, former president of Guatemala, that should concern every Christian in America. Looking on as an outside observer, he warned,

The Romans made a good religion out of Christianity. The Germans made a good theology out of Christianity. Americans have made a good business out of Christianity.

Consumed by Holy Fire Brings Holy Awakenings

As the disciples observed this display of holy anger in Jesus, they were reminded of Psalm 69:9, which reads, Passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.

Sharon Daugherty, co-founder of Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, OK, wrote a powerful song about such holy passion and fire. The chorus says,

Consumed by the cry of Your Spirit,

Consumed by Your calling on me.

May my life forever be,

Consumed by Your fire in me.

After Jesus cleansed the temple of its unholy practices, something marvelous happened. Matthew 21:14 says, Then the blind and lame came to Him in the temple and He healed them. As healings and miracles began to occur, shouts of praise began breaking forth. Even small children were overcome with what they were seeing and began crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David.”

I pray that during this Holy Week there will a remnant of God’s people who will be consumed anew with a burning, holy passion for His house, His Message, His plan and His purpose. Something marvelous will happen. We too will see miracles like we have never seen and spontaneous shouts of praise breaking forth from people everywhere.

This article was derived in part from Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s books, Discovering the Real Jesus and Why I Believe in God, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com. He is the founder of the “1726 Project” whose purpose is to educate the American populace about the role of the First Great Awakening in the founding of America.

WHY THE CHURCH MUST DISMANTLE THE FALSE BELIEF SYSTEMS OF THIS GENERATION

I recently sat with a small group in a circle that included Rafael Cruz, the father of TX Senator Ted Cruz, and his niece, Bibi Loyola, who is Ted’s cousin and grassroots coordinator. We were having an informal interactive Bible study and the conversation turned to the role of politics in changing American culture.

I suggested that it will take more than politics and an election to change America. Everyone heartily agreed and Rafael pointed out that the church in America needs to understand spiritual warfare, and he quoted II Corinthians 10:4-5, which reads,

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God . . ..

A New Belief System is a Must

I then shared a powerful truth I discovered while studying this passage about eight years ago. I told them how the word “imaginations” is a poor translation of the Greek word logismous, which actually refers to a way of thinking or a belief system. This is why the NKJV and NIV translate the word as “arguments” and Marshall’s Greek-English Interlinear translates it as “reasonings.

The Greek word for “casting down” is kathairesin and is a very intense word. It means “to take down” or “demolish” or “dismantle.”

Paul is here saying that we are to dismantle those false belief systems by which Satan holds people, cities, churches, and nations in bondage. We have a model of how this can happen in Luke’s account of Paul’s ministry in the pagan, idolatrous city of Ephesus

Paul’s Modus Operandi in Ephesus

Ephesus was a very idolatrous and occultic city. It was home of the massive and ornate temple of the famous mother goddess, called Diana by the Romans and Artemis by the Greeks. Luke says that Paul, while in Ephesus, spent two years “reasoning daily” in a public lecture hall known as the school of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9-10).

The word “reasoning” in this passage is from the Greek word dialegomenos and it means to “dialogue” or “reason.” This indicates that Paul gave time and space for people to comment, challenge and ask questions about his message. He did this because he knew that if there was to be ultimate change in their lives, he would have to dismantle their present belief system or way of thinking.

This is why Paul would dialogue with these pagans for several hours per day, every day. It was not enough for them to come forward, repeat a prayer and fill out a card. They must be given a whole new way of thinking. By dismantling their false belief systems, Satan would no longer be able to hold them in bondage.

Interestingly, Luke makes no mention of Paul utilizing any of the modern, popular methods of spiritual warfare. There is no mention of Paul screaming at principalities and powers over Ephesus or casting down a Diana spirit over the city.

Paul was aware that Satan has no real power for he suffered absolute and total defeat through the cross, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Satan’s only power is in lies and deceptions. That is why Revelation 12:9 refers to him as, that serpent of old, the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world.

Satan is the author of false belief systems by which he holds people, cities, and nations in bondage. Paul knew that the stronghold by which the Ephesians were held in bondage was a false belief system. Only a new way of thinking—a Biblical way of thinking—would free them from Satan’s grasp.

His method worked and before too long people began bringing their books of sorcery and magic, piled them up and burned them publicly. Luke says the books were valued at 50,000 pieces of silver, and I have seen modern estimates of anywhere from five-hundred thousand to two million dollars. In addition, the economy, which was based on the tourism related to the temple of Diana, began to collapse. This happened because Paul spent two years dismantling their false belief systems.

Today’s Church Must Dismantle the False Belief Systems of this Generation

Ever since that experience in the Bible study, it has been resonating and reverberating in my heart that the modern church must be about the business of dismantling the false belief systems of this world by which Satan holds the masses in bondage.

This is no time for a consumer-friendly approach. This is no time to be overly concerned about offending people and being “liked” by contemporary culture. We must take seriously the words of Jesus in John 8:31-32, If you continue in My word, you are My disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.

It's time for Christians in America, and the world, to rise up, take the truth of God’s word, and dismantle the false belief systems of this generation.

To read about America's founding within a Christian belief system, which made it possible for the nation to abolish slavery, survive a civil war, defeat Jim Crow, and become a nation that attracts millions from all over the world, read Dr. Eddie Hyatt's book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com. 

WHY ROGUE DISTRICT JUDGES ARE IN VIOLATION OF BOTH SCRIPTURE AND THE CONSTITUTION

The current constitutional crisis, in which district judges are grabbing power not allotted to them in the  Constitution, is an outright attack on the Founders' division of governmental powers. The Founders created this division because they held the Christian view of the flawed nature of humanity because of original sin.

The Moral Basis of the American Republic

They believed that because of fallen human nature, no person or group of persons can be trusted with absolute power. The Founders would all agree with Sir John Dalberg-Acton who said, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” They, therefore, divided the powers of government into three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial.

As another check on power, the Founders, in Section 1, Article 9 of the Constitution, forbade the government from issuing honorific titles of nobility and they forbade any government employee from receiving such a title from a foreign state apart from an act of Congress. In Section 10, they forbade the states from issuing honorific titles of nobility. In other words, they outlawed aristocracy in America.

The Founders envisioned a government wherein power resides with the people, not a king, monarch or unelected judges. This is why the U.S. Constitution begins with the words, “We the people . . ..” Abraham Lincoln described America’s government as being “of the people, by the people and for the people.”

Since power is to reside with the people, laws are to be passed by the representatives of the people in Congress—the legislative branch. The president—the executive branch—is to execute and enforce those laws passed by the representatives of the people. Judges—the judiciary branch—are to interpret and apply those same laws to individual cases that come before them.

Judges were never meant to make rulings that apply across the board to the entire country. However, that is exactly what is happening as unelected judges legislate from the bench and overturn the will of “we the people.” 

C. S. Lewis expressed the view of America's Founders when he said, “Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows." We must, therefore, remind these unelected judges and every government official that they are flawed individuals, and while they must do their duty, they must reject the temptation to grab more power than has been allotted to them by both Scripture and the Constitution.

The Church’s Role in this Crisis

The church in America played a primary role in electing Donald Trump and we must pray daily for him. He too is flawed and needs God’s wisdom and protection as he decides how to respond to this onslaught of lawsuits against the will of the people, and a host of other issues he faces daily.

We must also educate this generation concerning the nature of our Constitutional Republic and the fact that it emerged out of the First Great Awakening, whose proponents rejected the abuse of power in both the church and state (Hyatt Apostolic Leadership: Recovering the Spirit-Empowered Servant Leadership of Jesus and the New Testament, 79-81). 

This Awakening was rooted in the theology of the Dissenting Protestants who rejected the use of force in matters of faith, which had been a part of Christianity in Europe since the time of Constantine. This led to the founding generation abhorring tyranny and guaranteed that America would be founded on Biblical values of individual and religious liberty.

It was for this reason that the Founders saw a direct link between Christian morality and political freedom. George Washington made this clear in his Farewell Address in which he exhorted the young nation to cling to "religion [Christianity] and morality," which he called “indispensable supports” for political prosperity. Notice he did not say religion and morality should be “tolerated;” but that they are “indispensable” for a stable and prosperous society.

Because of his firm belief that Christian values are necessarily linked to political freedom and human happiness, Washington was not hesitant to share this belief with anyone. For example, in a meeting with Delaware Indian chiefs, Washington said to them, “You do well to wish to learn our arts and our ways of life and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 172).

John Adams, who succeeded Washington as our second president, agreed and declared, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious [Christian] people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 168).

It was because of the plethora of statements such as these by America’s Founders that the late, Dr. Michael Novak, wrote,

Far from having a hostility toward religion, the Founders counted on religion [Christianity] for the underlying philosophy of the republic, its supporting ethic, and its reliable source of rejuvenation (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 171).

Concluding Word

This political power struggle going on in America actually reflects the erosion of the Christian principles and values on which America was founded. This is serious for all the Founders believed that a loss of Christian morality would lead to a loss of societal peace and political freedom. 

This is why we, as the church, must be about our primary calling of being “salt” and “light” to this generation, calling the nation back to God, rebuking the ungodly pursuits of power, and directing the people to pray and expect another Great Awakening to revive and renew the nation.

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's books 1726: The Year that Defined America and Apostolic Leadership: Recovering the Spirit-Empowered Servant Leadership of Jesus and the New Testament. He is the founder of the "1726 Project" whose purpose is to educate America, beginning with the church, of America's overt Christian birth out of the First Great Awakening.

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR YOUR APOSTOLIC ASSIGNMENT?

In Acts 9:10-16, a “disciple” named Ananias is instructed by God in a vision to go and lay his hands on Saul of Tarsus that he might receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. He is given the exact address where Saul is residing and is told that Saul is praying.

Ananias obeys and when he enters the house, he makes clear to Saul that this is no social call or friendly visit. He does this by his use of the word apostello, which is the verb form of apostolos. He said to Saul, The Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road as you came has sent (apostello) me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17).

Apostello is distinguished from pempo, the more general term for “send,” in that, like apostolos, it emphasizes the authorization of the sent one by the sender. By using apostello, Ananias made clear to Saul that he was there on an apostolic assignment from the risen Lord who had just appeared to Saul.

Ananias’s obedience to that one apostolic assignment changed world history. It also reveals the very fluid and functional nature of apostolic ministry, for there is no evidence that Ananias functioned in apostolic ministry apart from this one situation.

Apostolic Ministry is an Assignment from the Risen Lord

There is also no evidence that Ananias occupied a church office. He is only described as a “disciple.” All apostles are disciples. It is disciples—committed learners and followers—who receive apostolic assignments.

For example, the twelve disciples of Matthew 10:1 become the twelve apostles of Matthew 10:2 by virtue of the apostolic assignment they they are given by Jesus. They are given exousia by the Lord to preach, to cast out demons and to heal the sick in His name. They are then sent forth by Jesus as His authorized representatives to speak and act in His name. These twelve disciples are now also apostles by virtue of the commission they have received from the Lord.

The Twelve did not cease to be disciples after they became apostles. Interestingly, after 10:2 Matthew drops the word “apostle” and uses the word “disciple” for the Twelve throughout the remainder of his gospel. This would indicate that apostolos was not seen as a permanent office or position into which one was placed, but a specific work to which one was called or a particular assignment that one was given.

This also indicates that genuine discipleship is a prerequisite for authentic apostolic ministry.

The Hebrew Background for the Greek Apostolos

It is best to see the apostolic in terms of “Divine assignment” rather than church office, for it seems clear that apostles in the New Testament do not derive their authority from an office but from the Lord Himself. Commenting on this, the monumental Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says,

We are thus prevented by the sayings of Jesus Himself from trying to deduce from His authorization for word and action an official congregational office fulfilled in terms of law. To be precise, we should not use the word “office” at all in this context; we should speak of commission in the sense of authorization which is limited in time and space, and which is conditioned materially rather than personally, as in the Jewish concept of saliah. (Hyatt, Apostolic Leadership, 28).

The Hebrew word saliah, mentioned above, is most likely the word used by Jesus and those first apostles. They would not have used apostolos for they were not Greek-speaking Jews. Being natives of Israel, they would have spoken both Aramaic and Hebrew, for the Hebrew Scriptures were read in the synagogues every Sabbath. They would have been very familiar with this term, saliah, which was later transformed into apostolos for a Greek-speaking audience.

In first century Judaism, the saliah was a legal, commissioned representative of another, acting in a sort of “power of attorney.” A saliah could even represent a bridegroom in a marriage ceremony and the one who had sent the saliah would, thereby, become legally married. To receive or shame the saliah was to receive or shame the one who had sent him. The rabbis summed up the basis of the saliah in the oft-quoted statement, “The one sent by a man is as the man himself.” (Hyatt, Apostolic Leadership, 25).

Like the saliah, the one distinguishing characteristic of the New Testament apostle is the authorization of the “sent one” by the sender. When Jesus sent out the Twelve in Matthew 10:1, He assured them that, He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent me (Matt. 10:40). The commissioning of the Twelve in this passage has obvious parallels with that of the saliah

The saliah was often a trusted slave who had no personal agenda of his own. His only purpose in life was to please the master who had sent him and to carry out his will. The institution of the saliah was well in place by the first century and most certainly provided the background for the apostolos of the Greek New Testament.

An Apostle is a Disciple on Assignment

So, even though an apostle will exercise authority and influence, it is a mistake to relegate apostles to being CEO type leaders of churches and denominations. An apostle is a disciple who has received an assignment from the risen Christ. It may be an assignment to go and minister the word of God to one individual, as in the case of Ananias; or it may be to bring a neglected truth to the attention of the entire body of Christ, as in the case of Martin Luther; or to establish and raise up new outreaches and congregations, as in the case of Paul.

Whatever the assignment may be, the focus will be on the One doing the sending and His assignment, not on the one who has received the assignment. John G. Lake, whom many consider to have been an apostle to South Africa, got it right when he said,

The modern conception of an apostle is usually that he is a big church boss, but that is not the conception Jesus left. An apostle was not to be a big boss, he was to be like his Lord—a servant of all (Hyatt, Apostolic Leadership, 22.

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's latest book, Apostolic Leadership, which the late Dr. Vinson Synan called, "A great macro history."