Apostolic Purposes

Apostolic Purposes Are for Today

Moving Heaven and Earth Through the Holy Spirit

There are seasons when the Lord does not merely comfort His people—He commissions them. And I sense, with a sober joy, that this is one of those seasons. Because the authority the Lord desires to release to all fervent believers in Christ this year is not the kind that makes us look impressive. It’s the kind that makes hell nervous.

And I’m writing this in early January 2026, watching turmoil ripple through the world—leaders posturing, authorities disrupting nations, systems shaking, and headlines changing faster than people can emotionally process. It’s as if the earth is reminding us, daily, that human authority is fragile, inconsistent, and often driven by fear. But in the middle of that disruption, I hear the Spirit saying something that steadies the soul:

God ultimately will have His way.

And His authority will prevail whether we like it or not.

That’s not fatalism. That’s faith. That is the confidence that the King of kings does not panic when kingdoms tremble (Psalm 2:1–4). It is the deep assurance that when the nations rage, Heaven remains seated.

And I’m coming to understand something the modern Church has often forgotten: true authority never begins with me trying harder. It begins with me surrendering deeper.

When we walk in the authority the Lord desires to release this year, we will understand that it all flows out of His plans and purposes—not our ambitions, not our reactions, not our personal security needs, and not our need to be validated. I label this apostolic authority, not as a badge, not as a rank, and not as a spiritual résumé—but as a Kingdom reality the Holy Spirit intends for the New Covenant Church. Apostolic authority is Heaven’s government expressed through yielded people. It is the authority released by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost—power that came not merely to disrupt the works of the enemy, but to destroy them (Acts 2; 1 John 3:8).

Pentecost was not God giving the Church a fresh religious sensation. Pentecost was God giving the Church a new operating system.

We can talk about Pentecost like it is a story in a book, a doctrine on a chart, or a memory in Church history. But in the book of Acts, Pentecost produced a people who could not be negotiated with. They did not beg darkness to back up. They did not ask permission to obey God. They did not wait for culture to approve them. They moved with a holy certainty: Jesus is Lord, and His Kingdom is now (Acts 4:18–20).

The Holy Spirit did not come merely to make believers “more spiritual.” He came to make us more obedient—and therefore more dangerous to the enemy.

Authority begins where surrender becomes real

For years, many of us assumed authority is a product of intensity: more prayer hours, more fasting days, more studying, more striving, more effort. But the Lord has been pressing something deeper into me—something that is both sobering and freeing:

All authority comes from the Lord whether we like it or not (Romans 13:1).

He does not consult our preferences. He does not ask our permission. He does not submit His leadership to our comfort.

And because He knows what He is doing better than we do (Isaiah 55:8–9), there becomes only one safe posture: holy surrender into His will. Not passive surrender. Not resignation. Not a defeated shrug. But a willing bow—an alignment of the heart that says, “Father, not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

This is where authority is born.

The authority we are asking God to release is not the authority of strong personalities. It is the authority of surrendered hearts. It is not the authority of people who always know what to do. It is the authority of people who are willing to be led—fully, thoroughly, and consistently—by the Holy Spirit.

Apostolic authority is not primarily about commanding demons. It is about being commanded by God.

Jesus said, “The Son can do nothing of Himself” (John 5:19). That statement is breathtaking. If anyone ever had the right to be “self-directed,” it was Jesus. Yet He chose perfect dependence. And because He lived in perfect dependence, Heaven could trust Him with power on earth.

That is still the pattern.

Many believers want the thrill of authority without the cost of surrender. We want to bind and loose, but we resist being led. We want to pray bold prayers, but we keep clinging to private control. We want the anointing, but we still insist on steering the ship.

Yet the Lord is not releasing a generation of spiritual freelancers. He is raising a people who move by inquiry.

There becomes a different way of living—inquiring of Him before we commit to any course of action. Not because God is fragile, but because we are prone to drift. We assume. We rush. We react. We “decide” and then ask God to bless it. And then we wonder why our authority feels hollow, why our prayers feel like they hit the ceiling, why our “warfare” feels like noise instead of impact.

Apostolic authority is not loud. It is aligned.

Apostolic authority is New Covenant authority

Under the New Covenant, apostolic authority is not reserved for a tiny club. It is the intended inheritance of the Church as a body under Christ the Head (Ephesians 1:19–23). The apostolic is not merely a job title. It is a Kingdom dimension—God’s government flowing through Christ’s people.

That’s why Jesus didn’t say, “All authority has been given to a few special leaders.”

He said, “All authority has been given to Me… therefore go” (Matthew 28:18–20).

The authority is His. The assignment is ours.

And when the Church forgets this, it drifts into two ditches.

One ditch is powerlessness: a Church that tries to influence the world through popularity, relevance, or moral niceness. The other ditch is politics: a Church that tries to influence the world through control, outrage, and human leverage. But apostolic people influence the world through obedience-backed power—the kind that comes when Christ is truly King and the Spirit is truly leading.

The early Church did not have budgets, buildings, media platforms, or legal protection. Yet they shook cities (Acts 17:6). Why? Because the authority they walked in was not borrowed from culture. It was issued from Heaven.

The shaking of human authority reveals the need for God’s authority

And this is why what we’re watching in early 2026 matters.

When human authority becomes unstable, people either panic—or they awaken.

Turmoil has a way of exposing what we’ve built our confidence on. It reveals whether our peace was rooted in God’s unchanging Kingdom or in the illusion of societal stability. And it also reveals something else: there is a vacuum in the earth right now. When leadership fails, when systems wobble, when the world’s “sure things” become unsure—people start looking for something immovable.

That is the Church’s moment—not to become louder in opinion, but stronger in authority.

Because apostolic purposes are not for the Church to win arguments. Apostolic purposes are for the Church to manifest the Kingdom—to carry a government that can’t be shaken (Hebrews 12:27–28), and to represent a King who is never voted out, never overthrown, and never surprised.

The world is watching authority disrupt the world. But Heaven is preparing the Church to move in a higher authority—the authority that flows from the throne of God.

And whether we like it or not, His authority will prevail.

The tragedy of drifting—and the mercy of realignment

I cannot ignore what I see across the landscape of Christianity. The universal Church has often moved far away from its intended purpose. We have traded presence for programs, holiness for hype, discipleship for crowds, and spiritual government for celebrity culture. We have confused success with faithfulness. We have measured fruit with numbers rather than with transformation. We have sometimes marketed Jesus like a product instead of obeying Him like a King.

But I also sense something else—something hopeful and fierce:

The Lord is bringing His Church back into alignment with His plans and purposes.

He is not abandoning the Church. He is purifying it (Ephesians 5:26–27).

He is not reducing it. He is rebuilding it (Matthew 16:18).

He is not silencing it. He is sharpening it.

Realignment always begins the same way: the Lord confronts what is working but is no longer obedient. He interrupts what is popular but is not pure. He exposes what is impressive but is not anointed.

And in that confrontation, we face a choice.

Will we keep operating in what we’ve learned to manage, or will we return to what only the Holy Spirit can lead?

Because apostolic purposes are for today—and the Lord is not nostalgic. He is not trying to recreate the first century as a museum exhibit. He is trying to restore the apostolic nature of His Church as a living, breathing, moving reality—right now, in our cities, in our families, in our private lives, and in our public witness.

Pentecost was the release of authority for Kingdom invasion

When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, it was not merely a personal blessing. It was a governmental release. It was Heaven’s invasion into earth through human vessels.

The same Spirit that filled the Upper Room empowered bold preaching (Acts 2), fearless witness (Acts 4), supernatural signs (Acts 3), and unshakable endurance through persecution (Acts 5). The Spirit did not produce a timid Church. He produced an apostolic Church—rooted in the fear of the Lord and moving in the power of God (Acts 9:31).

Apostolic authority is not mainly about “having meetings.” It is about carrying an assignment.

It is the authority to speak what Heaven is saying, even when earth does not want to hear it.

It is the authority to obey God, even when people threaten.

It is the authority to lay hands on the sick and expect God to move (Mark 16:17–18; Acts 28:8–9).

It is the authority to confront demonic oppression and see captives set free (Luke 10:19; Acts 16:18).

It is the authority to establish Kingdom order where chaos has ruled.

But the most overlooked part is this: Pentecost authority flowed from Pentecost surrender.

They were not filled because they were talented. They were filled because they were yielded. They were not empowered because they were perfect. They were empowered because they waited, obeyed, and believed (Acts 1:4–8).

Holy surrender is not weakness—it is agreement with Heaven

There is a phrase that keeps echoing in my spirit: holy surrender.

Holy surrender is not passive. It is warfare.

Because the greatest threat to the enemy is not a believer with opinions. The greatest threat is a believer in agreement with God.

Holy surrender says, “Lord, I will not move until You speak.”

Holy surrender says, “Lord, I will not choose what is safe over what is sent.”

Holy surrender says, “Lord, I will not build my own kingdom and call it Yours.”

Holy surrender says, “If You say go, I go. If You say stay, I stay. If You say speak, I speak. If You say be silent, I will not force words.”

And when we live like that, something changes in the spirit realm.

Because apostolic authority is not the authority to do what we want “in Jesus’ name.” It is the authority to do what He wants in obedience to His name.

That is why Scripture ties authority to abiding (John 15:4–7). When I abide, my desires are purified, my motives are corrected, my hearing is sharpened, and my actions begin to carry Heaven’s weight.

We are not being called to louder Christianity. We are being called to truer Christianity.

Inquiring of the Lord becomes a lifestyle

When apostolic purposes are restored, the first shift is internal.

Before I respond to conflict, I inquire of the Lord.

Before I step into decisions, I inquire of the Lord.

Before I speak “correction,” I inquire of the Lord.

Before I launch plans, I inquire of the Lord.

This is not hesitation. This is alignment.

In the Old Testament, David’s victories often flowed from a repeated question: “Shall I go up?” (1 Samuel 23:2; 2 Samuel 5:19). David was not afraid to act—he was afraid to act without God.

That posture is apostolic.

Because apostolic people are not motivated by momentum. They are moved by the Spirit.

And when we become a people who inquire before we commit, we begin to live in a different realm. Our Christianity stops being reactive and becomes responsive. Our lives stop being driven by anxiety and become anchored in the Lord’s counsel. We stop asking God to rescue us from our choices and start letting God lead us into His purposes.

Apostolic purposes restore the Church to its mission

The Church exists for more than Sunday gatherings. The Church exists as an embassy of the Kingdom.

Apostolic purposes remind us that the Gospel is not merely a message of private salvation. It is the announcement of a King and the arrival of His Kingdom (Mark 1:15). The cross saves us from sin, yes—but it also transfers us into a new domain under a new Lord (Colossians 1:13–14).

This is why the enemy fights apostolic authority so hard. Because apostolic authority restores the Church’s purpose:

• To preach Christ crucified and risen (1 Corinthians 15:3–4)

  
  
  
  

• To make disciples, not fans (Matthew 28:19–20)

  
  
  
  

• To demonstrate the Kingdom, not just explain it (Romans 15:18–19)

  
  
  
  

• To be holy, not just busy (1 Peter 1:15–16)

  
  
  
  

• To carry God’s presence, not just God-talk (Exodus 33:14–16; 2 Corinthians 3:17–18)

  
  
  
  

And yes—this will disrupt the enemy. But more than that, it will destroy his works in the places he thought he owned.

Moving heaven and earth through the Holy Spirit

This subtitle is not poetic fluff. It is a spiritual reality.

There are moments when God moves Heaven toward earth. And there are moments when God moves earth into alignment with Heaven. And both happen through the Holy Spirit working through surrendered believers.

When I pray, I am not merely speaking into the air. I am partnering with the will of God (Matthew 6:10).

When I obey, I am not merely making moral choices. I am establishing spiritual ground.

When I resist the devil, I am not just “staying strong.” I am enforcing the victory of Christ (James 4:7; Colossians 2:15).

When I declare truth, I am not just being positive. I am agreeing with Heaven against hell’s narrative.

Apostolic purposes are for today because the battle is for today. The assignment is for today. The harvest is for today. The deception is for today. The shaking is for today.

And the Holy Spirit has not changed.

He is still the Spirit of power (2 Timothy 1:7).

He is still the Spirit of truth (John 16:13).

He is still the Spirit who exalts Jesus (John 16:14).

He is still the Spirit who convicts, converts, and commissions (John 16:8; Acts 13:2–3).

If the Church returns to alignment, we will not need to manufacture authority. Authority will flow.

A call to fervent believers: you were not saved to spectate

I feel the Lord speaking directly to fervent believers—those who have not made peace with lukewarmness, those who still ache for purity, those who still hunger for the fear of the Lord, those who still want the real Jesus, not a domesticated version.

You were not saved to spectate. You were saved to participate.

You were not filled with the Spirit to survive the age. You were filled with the Spirit to advance the Kingdom in the age.

And the Lord is not asking you to become famous. He is asking you to become faithful. He is not asking you to become flashy. He is asking you to become yielded. He is not asking you to invent a new Christianity. He is calling you back to apostolic purpose—back to the kind of faith that obeys God even when it costs, and trusts God even when it is uncomfortable.

The enemy has built entire strategies around keeping believers distracted, offended, exhausted, and busy. Because a distracted believer is manageable. A compromised believer is predictable. A prayerless believer is harmless.

But a believer aligned with the Holy Spirit is a problem for hell.

The Lord is restoring alignment—starting with hearts

If I want to walk in apostolic authority, I cannot start with power. I must start with surrender. I must start with humility. I must start with obedience. I must start with the fear of the Lord.

Because in the Kingdom, authority is not grabbed. It is granted.

And it is granted to those who are trustworthy with Heaven’s agenda.

The Lord is bringing His Church back into alignment with His plans and purposes. He is calling us out of empty cycles. He is exposing religious performance. He is breaking the addiction to applause. He is restoring prayer. He is restoring the Word. He is restoring holiness. He is restoring spiritual clarity. He is restoring the weight of His presence.

And when alignment returns, apostolic authority returns.

Not because we earned it, but because we finally agreed with the One who owns it.

This is the year to stop living by reaction.

This is the year to stop living by assumption.

This is the year to stop calling busyness “faithfulness.”

This is the year to inquire, to obey, and to walk in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25).

Because apostolic purposes are for today.

And the Holy Spirit is still moving heaven and earth through surrendered believers. Much love.

Declarations

1. I declare that apostolic purposes are not a relic of the early Church—they are alive today under the New Covenant through the Holy Spirit.

   
   
   
   

2. I declare that all authority belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ, and I will not attempt to operate outside His will or ahead of His timing.

   
   
   
   

3. I declare a fresh grace for holy surrender—where my plans bow to His plans and my ways yield to His ways.

   
   
   
   

4. I declare that I will inquire of the Lord before I commit to decisions, and I will be led by the Spirit rather than driven by pressure.

   
   
   
   

5. I declare that Pentecost power is still the inheritance of fervent believers, and the Holy Spirit still empowers the Church to destroy the works of the enemy.

   
   
   
   

6. I declare that in the shaking of nations and the turmoil of human authority, God’s Kingdom remains unshaken, and His authority will prevail whether we like it or not.

   
   
   
   

7. I declare that the Lord is realigning His Church to His purposes—restoring holiness, prayer, obedience, and Kingdom authority.

   
   
   
   

8. I declare that my life will not be reactive, distracted, or lukewarm—I will walk in alignment, clarity, and faith.

   
   
   
   

9. I declare that Heaven’s agenda will flow through surrendered believers, and the Kingdom of God will advance through obedience-backed authority.

   
   
   
   

10. I declare that the Holy Spirit will move heaven and earth through the Church again—through purity, power, and unwavering devotion to Christ.

    
    
    
    

11. I declare that this year, the Lord will release apostolic authority to fervent believers in Christ—authority that disrupts darkness and establishes the Kingdom of God.