What is Apostolic?
More than a License Plate
What is Apostolic?
The Apostolic Pentecostal faith is rooted in a steadfast commitment to biblical and distinctive principles that shape our identity and lifestyle. These core beliefs, drawn from key scriptures, distinguish us as a people dedicated to living out the truth of God’s Word.
What is the baseline?
1. Acts 2:38
2. Deuteronomy 6:4
3. 1 Corinthians 11:14-15
4. 1 Timothy 2:8-10
The above references serve as a reference point that cascades into an approach and mindset that has defined us.
No doubt it’s more exhaustive, for ease of discussion. Apostolics, know what I am talking about. For those who don’t know, I have written extensively about these things.
We believe these is representative of what the early church would believe and represent if they lived today. These are things that are absent and have disappeared from the rest of Christianity. We hold a lot of commonality; however, these scriptural principles have disappeared and been erased.
I had someone ask me about the area I live in, “How many churches in the area are apostolic, but not UPC?”
Almost all of those who identify with Acts 2:38 have lost their grip on three or four of the listed principles.
We had one pastor who joined the UPC in Mississippi; his church people had not been associated with traditional holiness for a two or three decades. A slow and then fast decline into invisibility and ignorance of distinctive holiness.
After a few years, he determined it would not be possible to lead them back, because it was “His” decision, and not his congregation, leadership, and preachers, who had no desire or revelation.
What am I referring to? Jewelry such as earrings, necklaces, ect. Cut hair, Pants, etc.
He had to choose: would he leave the church, or would he lead those who would follow him, even if most left him?
He decided to give up and returned to the group, which essentially consists of only Acts 2:38. They are fellowshipping with Trinitarians.
These people, as young people or their parents, maybe grand paretns attended a church that taught many of the beliefs we hold today in the area of Personal Holiness and standards.
The pastor went silent, and the standard lowered to the point of disappearing. After a few decades, this standard disappeared.
Thankful for the UPC
Our Leadership has continued to stand for and teach these principles. I have been encouraged that even in 2025, the UPC as a movement has not moved from these issues. That holds true for the vast majority of our people and congregations.
There has always been the gravity and temptation of simplifying our identity down to Acts 2:38.
Over the past, those who dropped the rest of the apostolic identity and in short order, go and listen to what they preach, read what they write, listen to what they teach, “Acts 2:38” has disappeared from their identity.
They, their churches, and children no longer embody the essence of what it means to be apostolic.
The Non-Denominational tag line has made them a part of the big amorphous blob of nothingness in the realm of doctrine.
These weak souls sell out doctrine for acceptance and appeal to those who seek easy messages of grace.
I praise the Lord that God has blessed us with those who have a love for God and thereby a passion for truth, and continue to teach, preach, and stand for distinctive truth in the face of all of the hatred of what is good and holy.
Sadly, every generation has seen these transactional souls who have no problem downplaying and becoming silent on inconvenient truths for their individual benefit.
Their congregations, disciples, and children and grandchildren will become as blind to apostolic truth as their grand and great-grandparents were before they came into the truth.
I am thankful for the apostolic Pentecostal doctrine and distinctives. We as a people are becomign more and more of a cultural anomaly in a world that is becoming more and more wicked.
I celebrate every Apostolic Preacher, Saint, Congregation, Leader, and Teacher who lives and continues to teach and speak on these distinctive truths that previous generations left in their tradition because of these revelations.
These elders from previous generations paid a high price and some have no sense of value or revelation and easily sell it out as so much nothingness. The result, their doctrine and distinction is, nothingness.
Thankful for the Apostolic Pioneers, Elders, and Leaders who have established biblical doctrine.
Past, Present, and Future Apostolic Leaders should be celebrated.
We also should not be afraid to speak up for these things for which we stand. We must encourage and admonish those who seem to be tempted to lose their identity and commitment to the apostolic doctrine.