The Ministry Anointing of the Apostle

Apostolic Reformers

In 1896, from his headquarters in Chicago, John Alexander Dowie preached a sermon entitled, "The Ministry of an Apostle—Is It For Today?". Dowie skillfully debated the fact that those who maintained that there were twelve apostles could not be correct if you count the apostles Matthias, Paul, James (the brother of Jesus), Barnabus, Apollos, and others who are called apostles in the book of Acts and throughout the New Testament. You see, most of the church of Dowie's day did not believe that the ministry of the apostle continued beyond the deaths of the twelve who were with Jesus and, of course, the apostle Paul. Dowie maintained that the ministry of the apostle was a perpetual one, set in the Church by God, until the return of Christ. Amazingly, the church today is very similar to the church in Dowie's day. There are still many who believe that the office of the Apostle was done away with after the death of the early apostles. Dowie maintained that God's order is first apostles, second prophets, third teachers. This was indeed a radical message against the religious tradition of his day. Even though many did not like his message, it was nonetheless scriptural and true. Dowie preached a message of the Restoration of the Apostle to the Church that was ahead of its time. In addition to his preaching, if you study the life of John Alexander Dowie, you will have to admit that his ministry was apostolic. He also was a "reformer" in that he preached a strong message against the apostasy of the Church during his time. He brought to the Church a message of healing and deliverance that had been lost for hundreds of years. Dowie was bitterly opposed by much of the clergy

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