23rd July 2014
Steven Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte North Carolina, is well known for his bold faith and bold statements.
At the Hillsong Conference 2014 held recently in July in Sydney, he made reference to how he would love to be called a ‘Super Apostle’.
Because the Youtube clip with him expressing this has been pulled for the time being, I have included this following short Youtube clip from his own ‘Orange Revival’ Conference in 2012 just to show how ‘godly’ these meetings are.
He made reference to the scripture at Hillsong’s Conference, where Paul was talking about ‘super apostles’. The scripture is found in 2 Cor 12:11.
Paul struggles with the problem that some among the Corinthian followers of Jesus were preferring some other travelling leaders who had arrived in Corinth after Paul’s departure. And these leaders were teaching about Jesus from another angle. Paul sarcastically calls these leaders “super-apostles” (12:11).
But all of this should be taken in context. In other words Paul is saying he is the Chief of all the Apostles. And these other emminent or ‘Super Apostles’ are only such through their selfish ambition, and creative enterprise.
Matthew Henry says regarding this verse
“We owe it to good men, to stand up in the defence of their reputation; and we are under special obligations to those from whom we have received benefit, especially spiritual benefit, to own them as instruments in God’s hand of good to us. Here is an account of the apostle’s behaviour and kind intentions; in which we see the character of a faithful minister of the gospel. This was his great aim and design, to do good. Here are noticed several sins commonly found among professors of religion. Falls and misdeeds are humbling to a minister; and God sometimes takes this way to humble those who might be tempted to be lifted up. These vast verses show to what excesses the false teachers had drawn aside their deluded followers. How grievous it is that such evils should be found among professors of the gospel! Yet thus it is, and has been too often, and it was so even in the days of the apostles.”
To continue we need to understand the background to this;
2 Cor 11:5
Paul states:
“For I reckon that I am not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.” ASV
and in 2Cor 12:11
“I am become foolish: ye compelled me; for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing was I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I am nothing.”
In one school of thought, the teaching is this:
“”For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles” Now who was that? Peter. Paul says he’s not a whit behind him.”
and
“I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: (you forced me. Why? Because of them constantly accusing him of not being a rightful apostle. Paul didn’t have letters of commendations, he couldn’t say, “Well, I ministered with Christ for 3 years like Peter could.”) for I ought to have been commended of you: (was he? No, but he should have been. He was the one who brought them out of paganism, he was the one who brought them into the light of the Gospel of the Grace of God as found in I Corinthians 15:1-4. Now they are turning against him and not even giving him credit for it.) for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.””
Now these comments:
“I’ve told you that the Holy Spirit, by inspiration, over and over repeats things that need to be repeated, and here are two of them in two Chapters. In Chapter 11 Paul says, “For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.” and here in Chapter 12 it’s repeated again as he says, “for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles. though I be nothing.”
Neither context seems to bear this out, that Paul is speaking about The Apostles. Rather the reference is made to those who set themselves up as super-apostles.
As for Pauls qualifications, what is to be made of this statement?:
What is a super-apostle? I take it to be those that think their minds are the Spirit’s mind, taking their ordinations to the extreme of believing themselves to inspired by God to add to Scripture those things they themselves become convicted of in their thinking, instead of confining themselves to Christ’s own teachings. The Apostles themselves were careful not to go beyond what Christ taught them, and what the Spirit was directly leading them to know, not by impulse; but these super-apostles had no such compunction, and readily enough impulsively said things such as Paul had to refute in his letters.
Paul was saying that these ones were not Apostles as all, but that somehow the Corinthians had thought that these others were wonderful!
So what are the credentials for being a true Apostle?
The following outline is taking from the teachings of Martyn LLoyd-Jones in his series on Romans;
Romans 1 King James Version (KJV)
“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,”
The folowing criteria are needed to be an Apostle:
1) – To have seen the Lord
Acts 1:25
1 Cor 9:1
Am I am not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?2 If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.
1 Cor 15: 3-10
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
2) – To be Called or Chosen
Galatians 1:1
Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
Galatians 1:15-16
But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased 16to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles,
3) – Commissioned with Authority
Galatians 1:11-12
I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
2 Cor 10:8 – cf 2 Cor 13:10
8For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame,
4) – Given the necessary power by God
1 Cor 2:3-5
3I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 4and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God
5) – The working of Miracles
2 Cor 12:11;12
I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.
12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
6) – The imparting of spiritual gifts to others
Romans 1:11-12
I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.
7) – Able to teach doctine. They were divinely inspired
Finally Paul and the Apostles, such as John, Peter, James, each of these ones writings were considered scripture, on an equal footing with the Old Testament Scriptures.
2 Peter 3: 14-16
14Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 15And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction
So has Steven Furtick seen the Lord, worked great signs an wonders, come with direct authority from God, called and chosen as an Apostle?
May I suggest that he like the other Apostles Paul had to challenge, Furtick is Self Appointed.
He may be going places right now, but can he be considered an Apostle in the true sense?
Coercion Code - "Dark Times are upon us" 
do these people really want the real mantle of an apostle. I think not. Do they want to be beaten,mocked,imprisoned, shipwrecked,killed etc etc. The true apostles of the bible paid a very heavy price indeed for being Gods messengers. Silver and Gold they did not have as Peter let the crowd know, All they had was the truth , to what they had seen being the Lords disciples, and the Words of the Lord as he spoke through them. They did not covet after fame, nor fortune. They did not seek status. They did not get paid huge amounts of money for sharing what is supposed to be given freely.They worked menial jobs. They did not have the crowd hang off their every word, and treat them as if they were God.They did not seek their own Glory, nor did they speak the latest worldly inspiration or quote, or dazzle the crowd with the latest worldly entertainment of their day They preached Yeshua and Yeshua alone. And for that ,they paid dearly.These so called leaders of the church, seek after the Lords Glory, calling themselves healers, motivational speakers,super apostles. Whats next super pastors. Where is the humility in these people. When you see them in action, when you read their twitters etc, it’s, just not there. What you do see is an endless amount of praising themselves or each other. Plus using quotes or inspirations from worldly people, many who are or were part of the illuminati and totally on satans side. Or quoting from the latest popular book, movie song,or celeb. They love to brag about who they are friends with in the world, name dropping all the time.What you rarely see is the true Gospel being preached from their lips.Which is the only thing that can and will bring mankind to his knees in true repentance.As I said do they really want the mantle of the apostles of the bible. Are they ready to pay with their lives to preach the Lord. Or is becoming a super apostle as he called it, just more about fame and fortune and all that satan brings via that.