The Apostolic Calling Expanded

By Les D. Crause and Nadine Stohler

The Apostolic Calling is the definitive teaching by Apostle Les on the call to the Apostolic Office. In this New Expanded Edition, you will find extra teaching by Les as well as some teaching from Apostle Nadine Stohler. There are 11 new chapters that were not in the 1st edition.

Today many are claiming to be apostles, and there is a lot of confusion on exactly what the Apostolic Calling is. Apostle Les D. Crause will teach you exactly what the Apostle is called to do, and how to identify the Apostolic Call in your life.

The call to Apostle is one of the highest Ministry offices that God can call you to. Very often the Lord starts to prepare you from a young age, and can take years before you are prepared to flow in it.This is not a call to be taken lightly. God has been raising up His Apostles in these end times and they have begun to shake the church and the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Dec 7, 2016
• ISBN: 9781365590665

Book preview

The Apostolic Calling Expanded

By Les D. Crause

with Nadine Stohler

The Apostolic Calling

Expanded 2nd Edition

ePub Edition

Copyright © 2012 - 2016 by Global Business Ministries International

All rights reserved

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1st Edition Published March 2012

2nd Edition Published April 2016

Published by Global Business Ministries International

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All rights reserved under International Copyright Law.

Contents may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the express written consent of the publisher.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Global Business Ministries (GBMV) version of the Bible.

Original teachings by Les D. Crause and Nadine Stohler

Available on Kindle and other online retail stores.

ISBN: 978-1-365-59066-5

Foreword

God has been restoring the Apostolic Ministry to the church since the beginning of this century. In the past not many would have dared to call themselves apostles, but today there are a growing number of leaders arising who are moving into the Apostolic Office.

I was blessed of the Lord to be amongst the first to lay out a systematic teaching on the ministry and functions of the apostle right at the turn of the century. But the Body of Christ is still not fully ready to embrace this office.

Since teaching and setting in place the Way of the Apostle, I have been led of the Lord to live and teach many new principles as the function of the end times apostle has begun to unfold and become clearer. 

This book is extracted from the original teaching series The Way of the Apostle, and is an introduction to the calling of the apostle. 

It lays a good foundation for anyone who is called to this office, and prepares the way for the series to follow. These include The Apostolic Functions and The Sevenfold Apostolic Leadership.

I send forth this newer edited version of some of my original teachings, in the hope that it will stir up many to press in and take their place as apostles in the end times church. 

In His Presence

Les D. Crause

Apostle and Entrepreneur

Global Business Ministries International

Section 01 – Signs That You Are Called to be an Apostle

Chapter 01 – How to Identify an Apostle

2 Corinthians 12:12 says,

Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.

What is an apostle? We hear a lot these days about the Apostolic Ministry and the Apostolic Office. But do real apostles still exist today? Was Paul not one of the last of the apostles?

Many claim to be apostles today. Are these genuine apostles, or are they deceived?

How would you recognize an apostle? Many use the word as a title before their names. Some even dress in special clothing to become more visible. But does that make such a person an apostle?

What does an apostle look like? And are there any female apostles, or is this only for men? Would a real apostle identify himself or herself? Should they go around claiming to be apostles?

Is an apostle someone who has reached a higher level of spiritual maturity? What exactly is an apostle?

Perhaps you have asked some of these questions yourself or thought about them. I hope to help you answer them in this section.

My First Exposure

One of the first people I ever heard of who claimed to be an apostle, was a man who had a unique approach. He started his own ministry, and although he had only one church, it became almost like a denomination.

This man had a zeal for restoring the Fivefold Ministry. He wanted to help people to identify their ministries. It was a brand new move and a wonderful thing.

He was a man who was used mightily by God in signs and wonders. He set up prophets in his church and gave them titles. Then he took for himself the title of apostle.

People were not allowed to call him reverend or pastor. They had to call him by his title of apostle.

I never ever met this man, but I met some of the people who went to his church. It was clear that they were awe-inspired by him. They hero-worshipped him and quoted everything that he said, almost word for word.

He seemed to be a mighty man of God, but some things did not look quite right. On one occasion he met one of his prophets just before the meeting. Addressing the prophet he said,

By the way, I thought I would just let you know what I’m preaching on tonight. When you prophesy, will you please make sure it lines up with my sermon?

This man who was a genuine prophet of God, looked at him in disbelief. He said,

I beg your pardon. I prophesy only what the Spirit of God lays upon me to prophesy.

He rebuked the so-called apostle. The apostle was quite unmoved and just rebuked him back.

Things began to go wrong in that church and this apostle had a heart attack and died. Some of the people in his church wanted to go and raise him back from the dead. But it was clear that his ministry was over.

It had started out with something genuine but it had gone wrong. Perhaps it had moved beyond what God intended. Perhaps he opened a door to the enemy. It is not for me to judge.

I am sure you have also heard stories of so-called apostles who have exalted themselves. Many have fallen into deception and led others astray. Because of this many are afraid of this term apostle. They are nervous when someone says,

God’s called me to be an apostle.

There is also the opposite extreme these days. People everywhere are claiming to be apostles.

It happened that way with the Prophetic Ministry. Prophets were rare at first, but then suddenly a move took place and they started springing up everywhere.

Prophets are now very common in the church. But apostles have started appearing in the same way.

We need to know what is the genuine and what is not the genuine. We need to be able to identify what is of God and what is not of God. And we need to be able to test those who claim to be apostles.

God was pleased with one of the churches that John wrote to in Revelation. It was the church at Ephesus. He said,

You have tested those who claim to be apostles and found them to be false.

Right back there already there were true and false apostles. We will be looking at all of this in some detail. You will find out how to know without a doubt if an apostle is genuine or not. And you will learn to recognize an apostle when you meet one.

What an Apostle is Not

We will consider first what an apostle is not before we look at what an apostle is.

Not a Super-Spiritual Giant

An apostle does not have to be a super-spiritual giant. The ministry of the apostle is a gift and a calling, not a spiritual attainment.

There is of course a price to pay for appointment to a ministry office. We will look at that in more detail in the next section. But God calls and chooses by His grace.

He is God the King and He knows the future. He alone is the one who can choose, call and ordain someone to be an apostle.

An apostle does not have to be someone who is far above others in righteousness and holiness. This is also true for the other ministries. He is not someone who has revelation that does not rely on the Scriptures.

I remember somebody telling me about a wonderful apostle they knew. He was a man who spent all day in the presence of the Lord, praying and seeking Him.

He was just so close to God. He would write letters to his churches just like Paul did. The people would take and read them, and they would build their doctrine on his letters rather than on the Word.

He had built himself into a state of spirituality where he claimed to be clear of certain things. It gave him the right to indulge in sins of the flesh freely. So what was sin to others was now no longer sin to him.

Can you not clearly see the signs of a cult in this?

I am sure you have heard of people like this. You have heard of cult leaders that have risen up and led people astray. They claim to be apostles of Christ because they have superior revelation. They will say things like,

We don’t dabble in the milk any more brother; we’re into the meat.

When you hear people talking like that and claiming to have unique revelation, you need to be careful.

Not a Missionary

The word apostle means sent one. This sounds a lot like being a missionary, and many missionaries are indeed apostolic. But it is not true to say that all missionaries are apostles.

Perhaps you thought that you would have to be a missionary to be an apostle. If you did, now you can let that idea go.

Missionaries are not sent out in the same way as apostles. They are sent by an organization. The apostle is sent out by the Lord directly. We will be covering that later.

Not the Founder of a Church

An apostle does not have to be someone who starts a new church. This seems to be a common teaching.

Many believe that if someone goes out and starts a new church, they are the apostle of that church and can claim that title. They reason that if you start a new church then you are an apostle.

The Scripture tells us that when Saul persecuted the early believers they scattered everywhere. And everywhere they went they preached the gospel. They reached up as far as Antioch and preached to people there.

Do you know what happened? People were saved. Christians came together and a church started up.

The apostles however were still in Jerusalem. There was no apostle anywhere near to start that church. They had to send someone up there.

Paul and Barnabus went to teach and get the church in order. But they were not even apostles yet. Barnabus was a prophet and Paul was a teacher.

Apostles are not the only ones who can plant new churches. There are people planting new churches who are not even filled with the Holy Spirit yet. They have not received any gift, office or calling from the Lord.

Can they claim to be apostles? Of course not.

What an Apostle is

So what is an apostle then? Let me give you a few guidelines.

One Who Is Sent

An apostle is someone who has been sent. That is what the Greek word apostolos means.

An apostle should have more than one gift ministry. An ordinary pastor or evangelist cannot do what an apostle is called to do.

The apostle has risen up through the ranks. He has carried out most of the Fivefold Ministries before moving into the Apostolic Office. And the apostle receives his mandate from the Lord Jesus Christ.

A Spiritual Entrepreneur

An apostle is someone who lays new foundations. He is able to start new things and set them in order.

I think the best description, and one that the Lord dropped into my spirit, is that an apostle is a spiritual entrepreneur.

What is an entrepreneur? An entrepreneur is what most of us are not. Most of us work for someone who has already established a business. The entrepreneur gets everything going and then finds others to help him.

Most people study and prepare themselves to obtain a qualification. They then offer their services for an income. They fit into someone else’s structure and plan.

An entrepreneur is a person who is bubbling with new ideas and plans. He is a person who has a goal and a vision. He is someone who desires to go out where no man has gone before; a person who wants to go in and start things that nobody did before.

Paul said, I was determined not to build on another man’s foundation.

He said, I’m going to lay my own foundation. I am not going to fix up someone else’s building. It is all wrong because it was built wrong.

He had a vision inside; something strong burning in him. He had a clear goal and mandate. That mandate was given to him as he was struck to the ground; as the light shone around him and the Lord Jesus spoke to him and said,

Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

Paul had a unique passion burning in him. He was a spiritual entrepreneur.

Today God is raising up apostles like Paul. They are people who have a cause burning in them. They have a goal, a vision and a clear mandate from the Lord. That mandate is to go out and do what perhaps nobody else is doing.

Chapter 02 - General Signs of Calling

What are the signs of somebody who is called to be an apostle?

I want to look first at some general signs. After that, we will look at some specific signs.

Jesus Calls

Firstly apostles are called directly by Jesus Christ. In Luke 6:13 we read concerning the early apostles,

And when it was day, he called [to him] his disciples: and from them he chose twelve, whom also he called apostles;

Jesus did not give an appeal and say,

I’m recruiting for apostles. Would all applicants please queue up at my house at 6:30 tomorrow morning and I’ll interview you.

No, thousands of people wanted that job. He was not planning to interview them all. He spent the whole night in prayer instead.

Here was Jesus, the Son of God; who was in tune with the Father; who knew things that nobody else knew; who walked in the anointing of God and in spiritual revelation.

Yet He spent the whole night in prayer waiting before the Father. He did not want to make a wrong decision. There would be only 12 - a very specific number.

The next day when He called all the disciples, they must have come running. We do not know how He knew whom to choose. Perhaps He had visions. Perhaps during the night, as He had prayed faces had come before Him.

He called out 12 specific people. He chose them, appointed them and called them apostles. So an apostle is not called by an organization or by popular vote. An apostle is divinely called by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Separated for the Work

Apostles are separated for the work and specifically set apart for their calling. Paul speaks about it in Romans 1:1. When he introduces his letter he says,

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.

Paul was chosen for the gospel of God. He was set apart for one specific purpose in life. This was not his own choice, but it was chosen for him. He was set apart to carry out a unique job.

If God has called you to be an apostle, you too have been set apart for a very specific job. You have been taken out from the midst of the masses as it were. You have been brought in for a special and unique purpose that God will fulfill in your life.

A Servant

An apostle is called to be a servant. Oh dear, that is a disappointment. Did you think that being called to be an apostle meant you were going to be a great name?

Did you expect to be splashed on the billboards, and known all over the world? Were you expecting people to say something like,

The great apostle Les Crause is coming. We have to get there.

No, Paul first says he is a servant of Jesus Christ, then an apostle. That is how he announced himself.

A servant is from the Greek work doulos. This is not just a servant but a slave; one who belongs to his master. He is a love slave; one who has willingly devoted himself for life to his master, to do whatever his master pleases.

Do you want to be an apostle? You had better learn to serve. You had better learn to be a slave and to do things you don’t feel like doing.

You had better learn to say, Yes boss, when the master says, Jump, otherwise forget it. You are not going to make it.

In 1 Corinthians 4:9 Paul makes it even worse. He says,

For I think that God has displayed us the apostles last, like we were sentenced to death: for we are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men.

In another place he said,

We are made as the scum of the earth.

This office of the apostle seems to be quite an exalted position doesn’t it? No it is not.

You might say, I would love to be an apostle.

You do not know what you are talking about. Are you prepared to be a servant? Are you prepared to be a slave?

Are you prepared to do as the great Apostle and High Priest of our confession did; who before His disciples, took off His cloak and put a towel around Himself, then sat down and washed their dirty, stinky feet?

Are you prepared to do that, apostle? Get ready for it. If you are called to that office, be prepared for it. It is what God is going to require of you. That is what He is going to call you to and will lead you into.

Do not get me wrong, the Apostle is the highest ministry office. Paul says,

God has set some in the church: First apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers ...

The apostle is the highest and most revered ministry office of all. He or she is the one whom God places the most trust and confidence in.

But there is a price to pay. As high as God is going to exalt you, so low you will have to be prepared to be and to go, in your heart and in your attitude, before God can use you.

I have not even gone into the apostolic preparation yet. If you are a prophet, you may have thought that prophetic preparation was bad. But that was a walk in the park. But I am not covering that in this section. We will deal with that in a later section.

An Early Call

An apostle is called from the womb; someone that God has set His hand on from the beginning. Paul said that God separated him from his mother’s womb. In Galatians 1:15 and 16 he says,

But when it pleased God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb, and called [me] by his grace,

To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the gentiles …

Because you have been called from the womb as an apostle, your whole life has been a preparation. Your preparation began when the sperm met the egg to create you.

The calling was already there when you were conceived in your mother’s womb. It wasn’t only something that came upon you in later life. Perhaps you only became aware of your calling later in life. But I want to tell you something - God knew you.

When Jesus hung on the cross He looked down. He saw you and He knew you. He ordained you, and you were set apart for the gospel of God and the call of God.

You were chosen, you were called, and you were given a mandate.

Secret Training

Apostles are trained in secret. Paul says in Galatians 1:15 to 17,

when it pleased God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb, and called [me] by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the gentiles; I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood: Neither did I go up to Jerusalem to the apostles [that were] above me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

Paul had been called to be an apostle. Jesus had spoken to him. But when the Lord spoke to Ananias he was scared.

The Lord told him to go down to the street called Straight to