5-Fold School of Ministry - The Apostolic Age

This past weekend Part II of the 5-Fold School of Ministry was held in Massachusetts. We had a variety of speakers and gifting. For those that were there,   you know how powerful Craig Moore, Jonathan Gale, Dan Roberts and Mark Sanchez were.

As we looked more deeply into the role of the evangelist, the teacher and the apostle, a shift in the atmosphere was taking place.

In the midst of all that was going on, here is some insight that I decided to preach at a small church this past Saturday night. It is in note from - but I think you'll be able to get the gist of where I was going, and what I believe that God is doing here in my neck of the woods.


Restoration of the Apostolic Church

- The Church is to be the spotless bride (Ephesians 5:27, and so are we 2 Peter 3:14) (The bride being all that have come to faith over the ages)
- Can we agree that we are not quite there yet?
- As Jesus walked with the apostles, the revelation of who He was grew, and it is growing today.
- The church has had many seasons of revival in various locations. These were not One Hit Wonders.
- All along God has been building something – a church, a bride, a perfect expression of Jesus.

If we look back over the past few decades [Here in the US], here is what happened.

- We had The Jesus Movement brought the gospel to the streets. (1960s)
- We had the Charismatic renewal in the Catholic and Episcopal Church. (Late 1970s/80s)
- We had the Word of Faith movement that grounded us in the word. (1980s)
- We had the Vineyard movement which brought us the believer’s ministry. (1990s)
- We had the Prophetic Renewal movement in Kansas City (Late 1990s)
- We had Toronto that brought us power. (Late 1990s)
- We had Brownsville that brought us Evangelism.  (Late 1990s)
- Then we had a sort of Apostolic Renewal – in some ways we are still in it.  (Late 1990s)
- This is the age of the foundation of the Apostle and Prophet. 2012!

THIS IS WHAT JESUS IS BUILDING!
Ephesians 2:20 You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself the chief Cornerstone

It is dangerous work!
Luke 11:49 For this reason also the wisdom of God said, I will send them prophets and apostles, [some] of whom they will put to death and persecute…

We are getting a new foundation to support the future work of the church!

This is the age of the Apostle and prophet working together to build foundation s for the living breathing organism known as the church of Jesus Christ. This is the church which the gates of Hell cannot prevail.

As we long for revival, and old moves of God, he is building a foundation for the pastor, the teacher and the Evangelist to place the church – his beloved bride on!

This new age (Greek anos) will have a solid foundation, and be identified with teams of nameless believers doing the will of the Father.

This new age will see teams that travel in 2, 3s 4s and 5s! It will be about the Kingdom, not about ministry!

The difference between a formula and model is this. The formula is a patterned way of working, while a model is a principled way of working.

Antioch is a good example of these apostolic principals at work.
- Antioch appears 21 times in the NIV.
- The Church in Antioch was the first church outside of Jerusalem.
- Spread due to persecution, not planted by an Apostle. (Acts 11:19)
- There was evangelism. (Acts 11:20)
- after which it was visited by the Apostles. (Acts 11:26)
- and then the Prophets. (Acts 11:27)
- followed by the Teachers. (Acts 13:1)
- there was an established building for meeting. (Acts 13:14)
- Elders were appointed (Pastor). (Acts 15:22)

In it we will see what it is that sets us apart from religion!

-1 Healing: I am inspired by the testimonies that came from the Expecting Miracles event at one of the churches I attend. They made testimony videos of people that came with physical ailments and were healed in the name of Jesus! The is part of the inheritance we have in Christ. It is not magic; it comes through faith and prayer.

-2 Miracles: Elijah called down fire on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18) and it was AWESOME! Since man first acknowledged God, he has been performing miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit, and he still does. I have witnessed quite a few in my lifetime: Anonymous checks in the mail that met a certain need to the penny, multiplying invitations to a church meeting in Norway, and a number of others which I have written about on Fire & Grace.

-3 Revelation: The sheep know His voice! If you are one of God's sheep, then you should be hearing his voice! Wake up, God wants to speak to you if you'll take the time to learn how to listen with your spirit. (I know you've probably had a hundred sermons on hearing God's voice) It may come in prayer, or though a prophetic word, or an illuminated Bible verse, but you need to hear God. Sure, sermons are great, but if that is all you are getting, it might be time to do something different.

-4 Authority over the Demonic: In America we pretty much don't believe in the Devil or demon possession, but that doesn't make it nonexistent. Once we engage the spiritual realms and leave the realm of intellect and debate, we will engage evil spirits. Jesus said we had authority over them. Did you know that?

-5 Reckless Abandon: Are you serious about your Christianity? Are you willing to bet your life on it? We think the terrorists are extreme because they are willing to die for their cause. Well, guess what, you and I are in an army that requires that same sort of commitment. We are not suicidal, but we value the path of Jesus more than our own lives.

-6 Sacrificial Love... love is not feeding the poor, caring for the sick, or preaching a sermon. It is doing what we see the Father doing!

5-Fold School of Ministry

This past weekend was the first of a 2 part 5-Fold School of Ministry. I was a great time in which we covered the the role of the pastor and prophet as equippers in the church.

Pastor Stephen Russell laid out the principals of 5-fold pastoring which included the attributes of protection and  nurturing a local flock. He also talked about confronting unbecoming behavior in the church. I loved his passion for his place in the Kingdom. In addition the team covered the following:


- Caring for the Sheep
- Deliverance
- Healing
- Wholeness
- Feeding the Sheep

My brother, Lee Johndrow spoke for the part of the class on the prophet. He did an excellent job talking about accuracy, faith, and the trials of those that occupy this role in the church. I addition we covered:


- What is Prophecy
- The Prophet
- The Gift of Prophecy (charisma)
- The Role of a Prophet (doma)
- Receiving/Judging Prophecy
- How to Prophesy

If you are in Southern New England, and are free on February 3 and 4th, we'll be doing part 2 and talking about the Evangelist, the Apostle and the the Teacher.

For more information, visit www.apostolicschool.com .

I Am Thankful Today

On Monday, April 4th I was admitted to the Heart Trauma Center with congestive heart failure. You can read that story HERE.

On Tuesday my pastor drove down to visit me. I was on 12 liters of oxygen per hour. Daryl and I had a nice chat, and he prayed for me just before he left. As he prayed I could feel the anointing of God and I had a picture (internal vision) in my spirit. It was my heart and swirling around it were my heart enzymes. In that still small voice I heard the Lord say, "You will completely recover." I shared it with Daryl and he agreed, "I am not worried" he said.

I made tremendous progress that day. My ejection fraction went from the 20s to the high 30s!

Five days later I was home, although I went back the following day due to chest pain.

Nearly a month passed and I was recovering at home; resting, exercising, and eating right. One Sunday morning I took a shower and was heading for the YMCA to do my tri-weekly mile on the treadmill. It was 5 minutes to nine, the Mother's Day breakfast in bed was a success, and I wanted to get to the local church for the 10:30 service. I heard the Lord prompt me, "Go to the 9 o'clock service." I swapped my sweat pants for a pair of jeans and headed to the Vineyard.

I sat through the acoustic worship, then a sermon on forgiveness - you know, the f-bomb. Both were introspective. I was in the lobby getting ready to leave and one of the elders gave a word of knowledge. "There is someone here this morning with a weak heart which I believe God wants to heal." I didn't even hear him, but a woman that I know came and got me. I went up for prayer. There were only about 20 people there that morning, and God had a plan for David!

A few days later I sat in the cardiologist’s office. I could hear the nurse whispering to an aide. "Oh my God!" At first I thought something was wrong. I later found out that she had been comparing my EKG from the day I was admitted to the ICU to the one from my appointment that day, and there was a drastic difference! The cardiologist confirmed it with my echo-cardiogram saying that my heart function was now completely normal!

In fact, I went for my 6 month check up a few days and he said not only was my heart completely normal, but that I had made a full recovery.

Today I am thankful life itself.

What are you thankful for?

Apostolic Reform

I have written many times about issues in the church, but today I want to offer some solutions for free! You may download a copy of my book.

How good/pertinent is my book? Well, I'd love for you to have a copy and give me some feed back. But before you do, here is what my friend Mark had to say.

David is part of a emerging generation of Equippers. Apostolic Reform takes a look at the 5-fold ministry with fresh eyes. The book opens the conversation about the importance for New Testament churches and leadership models. This book is a good introduction to the reformation happening in the Ecclesia at this hour. The focus of the book is the Body being equipped and coming forth to fulfill her destiny.


I recommend that all believers read this book at allow it to challenge you toward a fuller understanding of Apostolic Reformation and Kingdom living.


- Sr. Leader Village Church, NH


They say a picture paints a thousand words; likewise, without using many words, this
work by David details the 5-Fold ministry gifts of the church, and lays a foundation for a
much needed discussion concerning Apostolic reform. Projecting a vision which honors
the gifts God has placed in others, and activating them in the framework of a relational
team, reinforces the supernatural origins of the 5-Fold.

History reveals that "small unknowns" have both challenged and defeated giants. While this mini-book may look small, it contains revelation of a topic which can topple non-relational, institutionalized religion, which has held relational power infused Christianity captive for centuries. As my dad, who being small in stature says, "I may look small in size, but I am a big man inside", likewise this book contains greatness.


My hope is that church leadership will catch the heart of this work, embrace its contents, and begin a much needed discussion towards change.

- Daryl Nicolet, Sr. Leader, Faith Worship Center Pepperell, MA

Download Apostolic Reform - A Fresh Look at the 5-Fold Ministry right HERE.

My Destiny, and the Passing of Steve Jobs

I had a friend that wept when Ansal Adams, the famous landscape photographer, passed away. Some famous people that I have identified with in life have passed on during my life time: Keith Moon of the Who, Stevie Ray Vaughn of Double Trouble, Tommy Bolin of the James Gang and now Steve Jobs.of Apple.

I never met Keith, or Tommy Bolin, but I did meet SRV in New York in the 80s. I also met Steve Jobs in Boston in the early 90s. He was talking about the Internet, and his user-friendly Linux operating system NEXTStep. He had been banished from Apple and was not far from his alliance with Pixar (Toy Story etc.) NEXT was perfect, yet like so manything Steve Jobs, too far advanced for the average person.

Steve was just plain intense. Check out the movie Pirates of Silicon Valley.

Why am I emotional about the death of Steve Jobs? Well, 4 reasons.

-1 I think he was a genius because of his innovation. One does not need an IQ of a bajillion to be innovative. Certainly we owe every cool advancement in computers from the mouse, to the iPad to Apple. Microsoft and Google pale in comparison to innovation. I'm just sayin'

-2 The most amazing ad during a Superbowl.



-3 God used Steve's invention, the Macintosh to change my life, my career, and give me a testimony. It was even prophesied. HERE is the story of me, God and a Macintosh (pictured upper right).

-4 Eternity: I am not a universalist, and I don't think I will be seeing Steve in heaven. That makes me sad. Life is but a vapor, be eternity is a long, long time.

I would like to add that cancer sucks, and just maybe, Steve had an epiphany.

Prophetic School

I just finished teaching a Prophetic School at my church in which there were 60-75 students. It was exciting to see people that have never met one another, deliver a message with amazing accuracy; some of them for the first time in their lives.

I want to share a couple of other things which were pretty cool.

My friend, Mark Sanchez came down to the school along with my brother Lee and they were wonderful - edifying, and a real blessing.  They are a great prophetic team. I am looking forward to ministering with them again in the future.

Another of my life events started when I felt I was supposed to go to a conference with my pastor. A year later I received a phone call from a guy that I have never met face-to-face, but we have talked to on the phone. His name is Bill Miracle. He called me about a month or so ago, and said: "One of us is going to California." We talked for a little bit and I received the word.

A few weeks later, I was asked by my pastor to attend a conference in California. I committed to go without having the funds to get there. My friends had been  praying for a plane ticket. Not long after I received a word from a woman that I also have not met face-to-face; she lives in Vancouver. Here is her Facebook message to me on September 22:

"David, I was praying for you this afternoon, and I felt God say that the money for your ticket was going to come from your church, an honorarium, for teaching the course, perhaps?

I could have heard wrong (it's happened lots before), but I'm practicing hearing God and I have faith for you. Let me know how God provides."

At the end of the school, my pastor decided to do an offering. It was unusual because I attend the church and do classes for them all the time. In all the classes I have done we have never had an offering - well until this one. It was enough to fund my trip and also my wife as well.

I'll let you know how things go in California!