Apostolic Fathering... Continued
There are a number of characteristics of false apostles that Cannistraci thinks are worth noting because so many people are getting caught up in what he describes as "apostolic fever." The first and foremost thing he believes everyone should understand is that a true apostle is one who has been transformed by Christ from the inside out.
"What makes an apostle false is that he lacks the true, internal transformation that is required to be an apostle," explains Cannistraci. "He may have a dynamic personality, he may be an influencer, or he may be famous, but ultimately he is masquerading because he is not a man changed by God."
He also points out that false apostles are characterized by methods that lack integrity or apostolic precedence. He cites things like secrecy, manipulation, flattery, pet doctrines, or attempts to isolate themselves from the rest of the body of Christ.
"Third, I think false apostles teach things that are not based on truth and pervert the gospel," Cannistraci adds. "We should make sure that we only follow those who are in relationship with others, who have a place of submission in their own lives and are recognized by others around them as apostles. If he's the only guy saying he is an apostle, that's a red light."
Because the command of the Lord to disciple the nations is an enormous task, he also believes that it calls for a great change. Among the changes is a shift from control-based relationships to empowering relationships, those that release the work of God as it is seen in the New Testament.
"Denominations have each been guilty of their own unique sin. But one common sin for many has been a hierarchical control which has worked against them," says Cannistraci. "God is emphasizing relationship, spiritual family, not denominational function. I am not against denominations, in fact I have written about the gift they can be when they are created by God. However, there has been this fear in the heart of ministers that they could lose their license or their church if they do the wrong thing."
"On the other hand, you have these tremendous new churches which play by an entirely new set of rules," Cannistraci continues. "They are liberated. Their government is simple and non-confining, providing good accountability without limiting the vision of the senior pastor in terms of fulfilling the Great Commission. These congregations are flowing with enthusiasm, financial blessing, and a readiness to take the gospel to the lost."
In so far as a denomination can facilitate relationship, Cannistraci sees it as a good thing. But the moment it begins to block relationship and stifle apostolic initiative-the ability to create and do new things without running it through a bureaucracy-it becomes a hindrance.
"Another picture of an apostle is that of a pioneer, a spiritual innovator, one who is willing to try new things and be creative," says Cannistraci. "I believe we are moving away from the wineskin of religious tradition to spiritual innovation."
When it comes to the topic of apostolic fathers networking together, Cannistraci sees a tremendous trend towards apostles realizing their need for one another.
"Essentially, the body of Christ is a network of networks. We really aren't talking about anything new here," he explains. "It's clans and tribes and families coming together as one nation. It's very common to bump into these apostolic networks which have been developing over the last ten years, many of which are older than that. When people come together, the spirit of selfishness and pride is broken and a brand new dimension of anointing can be released. However, we can't build the body of Christ, Jesus is doing that. All we can do is recognize each other, meet each other, and love each other as long lost relatives who are already family. We must be careful not to organize the life right out of everything, which is a typical thing for us to do. I'm all for formal networks of networks, but there is a tremendous humility that we need to practice in this regard. We must recognize that there will be many such networks and no single one has been appointed to unite the entire church in North America or wherever."
When it comes to apostolic ministry and its operation within a city, Cannistraci believes that God will raise up multiple clusters of pastors who love one another. Then, from these groups, a body of representatives will pull everything together for the city. However, he doesn't see that starting with a central decision to get all pastors into one fellowship.
"I think it starts organically with pastors connecting with other pastors in small groups," says Cannistraci. "I believe it is a Kingdom pattern for taking cities. The new wine is found in the clusters. When you have the clusters coming together, you have this enormous force in the city built on love rather than a political or ecumenical agenda. I have great affection for all city-reaching efforts, but for me, the key is when pastors actually like each other and will fight for one another. Once this happens, the devil will never be able to hold a city shut."
The bottom line is that the paradigm of family is foundational to Cannistraci when it comes to things apostolic. He feels that, especially in the West, we are prone to reducing everything to a series of steps that we try to activate without relationship-but God has always been about establishing families.
"In all of this talk about the apostolic ministry which is wonderful, my concern is that we can't forget the heart of this thing," Cannistraci concludes. "It is really for the glory of Jesus, through the power of the Spirit, in the love of God, within the context of family."
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Thuringer, John "Apostolic Fathering." Arise Magazine Summer
2000: 16.
