![\"Rob](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/298\/2007\/12\/Rob-Rufus-Large-7307661.jpg\")
<\/a> They were turning the world upside down as a primitive church\u2014simple, clean wineskins. But about 300 AD they started ordaining regional bishops, and that was the beginning of the end and the slide into the Dark Ages. So we try to avoid having regional apostles. But to qualify that, that\u2019s not to say that some apostolic ministries won\u2019t tend to have more influence in their region. Some, like Paul, are called primarily to the Gentiles, and others, like Peter, primarily to the Jews. So there is that \u201csetting apart\u201d that God may give certain apostles more influence in Africa or America or Australia, but they must never get territorial and say, \u201cThis is my territory. You guys from Africa, even though we are on the same team, don\u2019t you come in here!\u201d What we\u2019ve said to all the churches that relate to our international team is, \u201cYou can invite anyone on the international team to come to you. You don\u2019t have to be exclusively in an arbitrary way restricted to just the apostolic ministry resident in your country. You can invite the apostolic ministry from outside the nation so there is no regional control. And, of course, invite other people from other streams as well because we don\u2019t want to be exclusive. It becomes a little bit incestuous when all you do is feed off your own lives and ministries.<\/p>\nTope
<\/span><\/em><\/strong>The way you\u2019re describing it, it\u2019s far more fluid. There is structure to it, but it is sufficiently loose to allow relationships to continue to happen, and everything is forced through relationships. That\u2019s amazing. How do you manage to keep the distinctives or the values that you have? How do you insure they don\u2019t get diluted out?<\/p>\nRob Rufus<\/span><\/em><\/strong>
That\u2019s a very good question, and when I get the answer I\u2019ll tell you! That\u2019s a real delicate tension because you don\u2019t want to become a movement that becomes so uniform that when someone comes into a church they say, \u201cYou guys are all the same\u2014talk the same, look the same, dress the same\u201d\u2014so you get all stereotyped. We don\u2019t want that, but yet at the same time we do want clear distinctives because that\u2019s the strength in distinctives and clear DNA. You can\u2019t have part of the body with certain DNA in one part and a different DNA in another part. We\u2019ve been very strong, like Newfrontiers, on presenting our biblical values and our biblical vision. Our biblical vision is to fulfil the Great Commission by planting churches in every town, every city, and every village in the world. Our biblical values are how we do that vision\u2014which is with integrity, team humility, embracing the power of the Holy Spirit, honoring one another. So we preach and teach those biblical values and authority structures and vision very strongly. Those values are similar to you guys\u2014liberty, freedom, no manipulation, not using guilt manipulation. We don\u2019t want to stereotype people. Does that answer your question?<\/p>\nTope<\/span><\/em><\/strong>
Yes.<\/p>\nAdrian
<\/span><\/em><\/strong>Basically how do you see the future for these kinds of movements\u2014do you think all these movements will somehow kind of merge into one super denomination? Or is that the last thing you want? Or do you think there will be lots of little families of churches like this growing up and working alongside each other maybe a bit, and partnering along the way? How do you see it?<\/p>\nRob Rufus<\/span><\/em><\/strong>
I think Newfrontiers, New Covenant Ministries International (NCMI), and other streams like that\u2014to some degree I think they have been in a fair amount of obscurity for the last twenty years. I think God has hidden us on purpose and prepared us in obscurity. But I think he is going to give profile to these kinds of streams, these apostolic teams, in the world today. Because there are many people who know something\u2019s happening in the earth, that something exciting is happening, and God is restoring his Church to be something powerful in the earth. So people are asking questions and they want to belong to something that is flexible and free, yet with sound doctrine and theology, accountability, and freedom. I believe that God is wanting these streams to keep their distinctives, and yet work with each other and \u201ccross pollinate.\u201d It seems Paul\u2019s team honored Peter\u2019s team, and so there was a real honoring, and I think that\u2019s going to happen more and more. I think the fathers of these teams, and the apostolic leaders of these teams, are going to spend more time together and stir up each other\u2019s faith and inspire one another.<\/p>\nAdrian<\/span><\/em><\/strong>
So it\u2019s not about forming some big organization?<\/p>\nRob Rufus
<\/span><\/em><\/strong>No, because then it becomes so top heavy in logistics. Then you are forced back into an organizational model where you just govern by principles. You govern by constitution rather than by the dynamic freedom of the Spirit. When it says in Acts 15 that God will restore David\u2019s fallen tabernacle\u2014that is an incredible prophecy out of Amos, and James himself quotes that, you know, as an answer to \u201cAre we going to put the law on the Gentiles?\u201d No, we\u2019re not, and we\u2019re going to give them freedom, and the nations are going to come into the restored tent of David. Many people think David\u2019s fallen tent is just about praise and worship, but it is much more than that. It is a very dynamic tent, but it\u2019s a cohesive whole. He talks, I mean there were 3, yet we\u2019re part of the 30. But they were not the 30, and then there was another 3, but they were not part of that 3. They all were teams within teams! I think the fluidness of these streams is going to grow in profile and work alongside each other more in partnerships in the streams. I think God is going to have small-acting units as well. And God is going to not only relate people to movements, but to men as well. There are going to be men that within a movement connect better with certain men. I\u2019m looking for men within our own NCMI movement with whom I\u2019m connecting well to help me in China.<\/p>\nAdrian
<\/span><\/em><\/strong>I\u2019ve taken quite a lot of your time and I guess we should draw this to an end. But I\u2019m just wondering\u2014Are there any final things you would like to say in closing to the people listening, who come, really, from all over the world\u2014all kinds of different backgrounds. What would you say to them in closing, Rob?<\/p>\nRob Rufus
<\/span><\/em><\/strong>I would say that these are amazing days, and Jesus is so wonderful, and don\u2019t be robbed of your inheritance. You are alive on the planet now, not by coming to him, but because you have been hand-picked, selected by God to be alive at the climax of the consummation of the ages. So don\u2019t be hijacked or seduced or hurt through bitterness or disappointment, because there is all of that happening. We have all been hurt. We\u2019ve all been disappointed. We\u2019ve all been there, but we must keep our eyes on the prize. And he is Jesus. He is so wonderful, and he\u2019s so glorious, and he\u2019s building his Church in such a wonderful way\u2014he hasn\u2019t finished yet, so don\u2019t be disappointed with the Church! He has not finished yet. He is preparing us for great things in these days! God bless you guys!<\/p>\nAdrian
<\/span><\/em><\/strong>Amen. Thank you very much!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Today I am publishing the fifth and final segment of my interview with Rob Rufus. The following links represent the posts which make up the first four parts of this interview: Preacher Rob Rufus Rob Rufus on Word and Spirit Rob Rufus on How To Explore the Charismatic Rob Rufus on apostles Today In the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1268,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,15,131,170],"tags":[526,528,562,527],"class_list":["post-2910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church","category-conferences","category-rob-rufus","category-toam07","tag-apostles","tag-charismatic","tag-prophecy","tag-prophets"],"yoast_head":"\n
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