The Truth About The Apostolic Church

The Truth About The Apostolic Church

Let me start off by saying that, not all Apostolic Churches are considered bad. In fact, there are some Apostolic churches that we love and stand by. Apostolic Churches are known for their harsh Bible teachings and genuineness for the Lord. Oh, and by the way; the meaning of Apostolic means more than the teachings and preaching of the twelve apostles. Those of you who don't quite understand the Apostolic culture, lets take a look at the truth about the Apostolic Church:

The Apostolic Church is a Pentecostal Christian denomination which can trace its origins back to the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival. Despite the relatively recent origin of the denomination, the church seeks to stand for first-century Christianity in its faith, practices, and government. The purpose of the denomination is summed up by one prominent Apostolic writer as: "To make known world-wide the forgiveness of sins through the atoning death of Christ; the baptism in water by immersion; the baptism of the Holy Ghost with signs following; the nine gifts of the Holy Ghost; the five gifts of our Ascended Lord; and the vision referred to in the New Testament as 'the Church which is His Body'."

The worldwide vision of the church is evidenced by a strong missionary concern. The movement, which commenced in Welsh-speaking villages of south Wales had, by the end of the 20th century, grown to over six million members in more than 70 nations. The largest national church is the Apostolic Church of Nigeria, with over 4.5 million members and a national convention centre that seats over 100,000.

The doctrine of the Apostolic Church is similar to most evangelical churches. Those of the Apostolic faith believes in the unity of the Godhead and the distinctions between the members of the Trinity. Regarding salvation, those of the Apostolic Faith teaches the need for conviction of sin, repentance, restitution, and confession for salvation. Like most churches within the Methodist tradition, they teach the possibility of a believer falling from grace. Where they differ from many evangelicals is in the Pentecostal teaching of tongues as a sign of Holy Spirit baptism and in their teaching that the ministry of apostles and prophets should never cease in the Church Age.

The Apostolic Church is Trinitarian in its theology (and so is not part of the Oneness Pentecostal Movement which also often uses the term Apostolic Church). It holds to the Protestant position that justification is by grace alone through faith alone. The soteriology of the Apostolic Church is neither uniformly Reformed nor Arminian. Ecclesiology has taken a prominent place in the theology of the movement. The Church is defined as the Body of Christ and the headship of Christ is given prominence. Christ is seen to express his headship through the ascension ministries of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. The sacrament of the Lord's Supper is the central feature of Apostolic worship and was interpreted by the early leaders of the movement according to the Calvinistic doctrine of the spiritual presence. Its theological beliefs are summarized in its confession of faith, known as the Tenets, which read as follows:

The one true and living God who eternally exists in three persons operates in ONENESS: Father, Son and Holy Spirit=ONE
The inherent corruptness of man through the Fall; The necessity of repentance and regeneration by grace and through faith in Christ alone and the eternal separation from God of the finally unrepentant.
The Virgin birth, sinless life, atoning death, triumphant resurrection, ascension and continuing intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ; His second coming and millennial reign upon earth.
The Justification and sanctification of believers through the finished work of Christ.
The baptism of the Holy spirit for believers with supernatural signs, empowering the church for its mission in the world.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit for the building up of the Church and ministry to the world.
The Sacraments of Baptism by immersion and of the Lord's Supper
The divine inspiration and authority of the Holy Scriptures.
Christ's leadership of the Church through apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, elders and deacons, for unity, maturity and growth of the church.
The security of the believer as he remains in Christ
The privilege and responsibility of bringing tithes and offerings to the Lord