June 24th, 2009
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Vol 2, Issue 9
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An Apostolic Approach
Ralph Howe Ministries
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 Thank you for inviting me into your home on a regular basis through this vehicle, "The Apostolic Approach" e-newsletter. I do apologize that you have not received a new edition of our informative news bulletin since March, 2009. However, it has been a very busy season with many changes and we are now back to publishing "The Apostolic Approach" having transferred our web site to a new server and a new web master. We have also been making major changes in our office structure and soon on the content of the web site itself. So, we will now arrive in your email inbox every three weeks with teaching articles, resources, and prophetic insights. Thank you for your patience.
Much has transpired since I last had an opportunity to write. The most recent event being my release on June 1st, 2009 from all pastoral duties at the local church here. This is a church which I founded almost 30 years ago and have pastored ever since. I have now taken a step of faith and am working full-time in my apostolic ministry (Ralph Howe Ministries) without any ministry responsibilities in my home church (and thus no salary). This means I am now free to travel throughout North America and world-wide wherever the Lord opens doors without needing to be concerned with the daily life of a local church. I am now free to preach the Gospel with signs and wonders following - equipping believers to move in the supernatural power of God (which should be the norm for every believer) wherever the Lord should open the doors and give me opportunity to do so.
My responsibilities at this local church will now consist of preaching and ministering prophetically on Sunday mornings whenever I am not on the road ministering in other places in this nation and other nations worldwide. As well, I will continue in apostolic oversight and function as part of the larger leadership team.
As well, we have finalized the plans for our next trip to minister in Ukraine. We leave on the 7th of August and return on the 25th. Our ministry will include preaching and ministering in a local church in the city of Kirovograd as soon as we arrive. Then we will be ministering twice daily at a six nations youth camp being held in southern Ukraine. The last Sunday (the 23rd) we will be ministering twice in the city of Krasnoarmeysk where we were honored to minister both in our November 2008 and February 2009 trips to this great nation. I am excited about the opportunity to minister to the youth once again. During our February trip we had a dynamic time during a two day youth conference and we look forward to seeing these young men and women (and many others) at this ten day camp. We would appreciate your prayers for this 10 day camp as we will be ministering to, training and equipping future leaders of the Ukrainian Church and the Church in many other former Soviet Union nations where Russian is the working language.
Thank you for your prayers. And, thank you for the many encouraging emails and letters that we receive from a number of you. We appreciate your interest and involvement in all that we are doing here through Ralph Howe Ministries. You are a blessing to us! Please take a few minutes and read through the informative articles that we have for you in this edition of "The Apostolic Approach" and forward it to someone who might find it interesting and beneficial. We look forward to being with you, once again, on a regular basis every three weeks as we continue to lay apostolic foundations for the 21st Century Church through this e-newsletter. |
| The Team - Prophets and Apostles |
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 The Bible states (Ephesians 4:11) that Jesus, the Head of the Church, gave five gifts to that Church - apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. These are His governmental gifts to every local body or assembly as well as to the worldwide true Church of Jesus Christ. In the 1980's He began to raise up five-fold prophets to minister to believers as the gift of prophecy and the ministry of this five-fold office became better known and established in the Church. By the mid-1990's we began to sense another stirring of the Holy Spirit as we saw apostles begin to appear on the distant horizons of Church life. They are now becoming fairly established in some branches of the Christian Church.
Now, it is truly time for the apostles and prophets to join forces and work together - complimenting each other's ministry to the body of Christ and then expanding this "team ministry" to begin to impact nations as they travel together to win the lost, disciple new believers, plant local churches in areas where there is no born again witness to the true and complete gospel of Jesus Christ, and raise up the leaders for these churches before moving on to repeat the process over-and-over again. This, of course, will be accompanied by miracles, signs and wonders as the power of the Spirit of God moves mightily so that the Gospel is "fully proclaimed" (Romans 15:18-19).
In the Book of Acts apostles were often teamed up with prophets - travelling and ministering together. There was a joining together of these two gifts to the Church. They travelled as a team and their ministries complemented each other.
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| Prophetic Insights ... By Ralph Howe |
 Major Changes in the Direction and Make-up of My Church Worldwide
I hear the Lord speaking to His Church about a number of issues. Therefore, instead of saying "The Lord would say..." I am simply going to list what I believe the Lord is speaking to His Church today.
1> That the Spirit-filled Church needs to guard itself when it comes to her focus in outreach. That much is being spoken of in the born again Church of reaching out relationally and into neighborhoods through building 'table groups' and sharing meals and gatherings (ball games, community events) with the unsaved. This is good in and of itself but I have called you to walk supernaturally and to minister in the gifts of My Spirit to impact lives and then share the Gospel of My Kingdom with them. So, My people, be supernatural and do as My Son did.
2> The Kingdom has become a major emphasis within certain branches of My Church. This is a good thing for the message of the Church involves the establishment of the Kingdom. But, be careful that the Church, My Bride, is still the central point of life for all believers and the place where all Kingdom ministry is equipped, trained, and released. Do not neglect My Bride while you focus on My Kingdom. I have placed you within a local church to be a vital part of that body and to do your part for the health and life of that local body and this shift in focus can, but must not, detract from the life of my body. |
READ ON | |
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Apostolic Annotations
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"It is time for true disciples to become involved in the real and supernatural "good works" that God has prepared beforehand for us to accomplish as Spirit-filled believers. The Evangelical Church is drifting into the liberal Church's definition of good works and must make a rapid return to the biblical definition of works for God - seeking and saving the lost through supernatural gifts and power so that we have 'fully proclaimed the Gospel, by words and deeds, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God'".
- Ralph Howe |
| CD Special! |
Go Forward - a 4-cd series by Ralph Howe.
This 4-cd set is a "MUST-HAVE" for the serious student of scripture.
Ralph received a revelation of what the Lord would be doing in His Church and with His people in this season and the current move of the Holy Spirit. As He raises up apostles and prophets and brings them together to work as apostolic-prophetic teams He is preparing His people for what He is about to call them to accomplish for His Kingdom upon the earth. This in answer to the Church's prayer that "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth..."
The Lord is speaking prophetically to His people to "GO FORWARD".
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| Great Reading: |
Apostles Prophets and the coming moves of God
By Dr Bill Hamon
"This book is so timely to read! Bill Hamon is one who has special spiritual ears to hear what God is saying ti His Church today...God has raised him up to help us understand the role of the Apostle today, just as he helped us understand the role of the Prophet a decade ago. You will not find a better navigator for this exhilarating trip into this new stream of the Holy Spirit than Bill Hamon."
-C. Peter Wagner
"Bill, you are bringing much-needed truths to the Body of Christ."
- Oral Roberts
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Ralphs Latest Blog
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Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once said, "Life is lived forwards but understood backwards." In other words, without understanding the history of the Church of Jesus Christ - including the mistakes of the past - we are doomed to a flawed future.
In fact, another philosopher and poet, George Santayana, stated, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." So, it is good to study the Old Testament and see the roots of the faith we hold to and defend. It is good to read the New Testament and see the life of the early Church and what our roots are and where we have come from over the last 2,000 years.
It does not take much to recognize that much of what we do in the Church today is not found in the Bible. And, with a little bit of study of the early history of the Church (the first 600 years) and the culture (society) in which this Church found itself - the roots of what we hold to be true today can soon be seen. And, a vast majority of what we hold close to the heart is not biblical. In fact, the words of Jesus to the religious people of His day would still ring true for many of today's believers. Jesus said, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?"
READ FULL POST | |
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| Book Reviews |
 THE PROPHETIC CHURCH - Wielding the Power to Change the World
What does a healthy prophetic church look like?
Are you longing for revival? Are you hungering for the power of the Kingdom of God and a more effective prophetic ministry? Then it is time to refocus, says renewal leader Loren Sandford, and make the goal not prophecy, not signs and wonders, but intimacy with God. Only as we find His heart will we be empowered to change the culture around us through powerful prophetic ministry accompanied by miracles, signs and wonders so that we have fully proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Sandford provides a powerful vision and real-life examples of what a healthy prophetic community looks like. He helps believers find their place in "lighthouse churches," places of refuge where people can encounter God's healing and restoration and then go out and transform the culture in which they live.
"This book is heart-gripping, bold, insightful, innovative and convicting" writes John Paul Jackson. "With wisdom Loren...not only defines what it takes to have a healthy prophetic community, but how prophetically gifted individuals should live in the community of the Church, and in so doing have a long and vibrant ministry."
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