Apostolic Foundations: The Challange of Living an Authentic Christian Life

Apostolic Foundations: The Challange of Living an Authentic Christian Life
By Arthur Katz

Preface to Apostolic Foundations

I have a very special respect for the word apostolic. To lose its meaning threatens the loss of the faith itself. It is not a word that is easy to define, and yet there is something about this word and its meaning that is at the heart of the faith. It is an ultimate word, and it is a word that needs to be resuscitated, and not be thought of as merely denominational identification. It is a word that pulsates with glory, and therefore we need to seek for and rescue the apostolic foundation — or we will not have a church worthy of that word.

http://www.fireonthealtar.com/books/Art%20Katz/Apostolic%20Foundations.pdf

Edit: Checked link, appears to be working for me. Revised link to be directly from www.fireonthealter.com instead of through google.

This book will mess you up like no other.

Just received my copy yesterday in the mail.

It will mess you up in a good way by removing those things which are man-made in order that those things which can not be shaken may remain. Those things which can not be shaken are the foundation upon which the church is built. The church to whom the Lord gave the promise that the gates of hell will not be able to prevail against.

He means good. It's one of Jimmy's favorite books. He loves Katz.

Yeah, I mean it will mess you up in a good way. Apart from Why Revival Tarries by Ravenhill, this book was the most influential book in my Christian life.

LOL. I've had this book in my collection for some time but have not read it yet. I am currently reading "Why Revival Tarries" by Ravenhill. Wonderful book.

Looks like I'm reading Katz next. :-)

It's a shame this book is no longer available on Amazon.com unless you buy used copies. The only way to buy it now is through Ben Israel/Art Katz Ministries. I personally just bought a couple copies. I hope to be able to give both away.

The basic premise of this book is that the church has lost its apostolic and prophetic understanding of itself. Instead of living a life that is of an apostolic quality at its core, it has slipped into a sub par life and ministry that is below God's intention for her. This book seeks to recover what it means to be a church that is truly "apostolic."

You can buy this book at: http://artkatzministries.org/online_bookstore/books/

This book is a very heavy read. It is not something you can just skim over. It's like 300 pages of Ephesians. Every sentence is fully loaded and theologically rich.

The link appears to be working for me. Anyone else having trouble with it?

"Apostolic Foundations" is a book that recovers the meaning of the word "Apostolic." Rather than defining it from a concordance, Art Katz attempted to discover its meaning through much prayer, and tried to live it out himself. Katz would have, in no way, argued for the idea of men being "apostles" in a technical sense, but rather to engage in the spirit in which the Apostles operated. To Katz, arguments about things like "apostolic succession" were petty and meaningless. This book has nothing to do with imposing apostolic authority over others, but rather an apostolic authority that would come from total submission in all areas of life to the leading of Gods Spirit in ministry.

Here is just one good quote from the book. "We need more of this 'uttermost' salvation and less pre-packaged evangelistic techniques. We need more priests bringing the conviction and mercy of God down from His throne in heaven, and less well-meaning men bringing their own devices and systems out from their own heads. We need more lifting up of God and less pandering to man's self-interest. We need to stop appealing to men on the basis of all the benefits that will accrue to them if they would only 'accept' Jesus. A true priest would gag and choke on such terminology and egocentric appeals, based on benefits for 'accepting' Jesus." pp 60-61 first edition 1999.

Granted this is a quote taken out of context, but is a sampling of some of the issues Katz was attempting to iron out of the fabric of the body.

My first encounter with Art Katz was from his sermon called "A Man in Whom the Spirit of God is" Talk about being "ruined" as my friend Steve use to say. It did ruin me for "regular" Christianity. I highly recommend it and his other message from the Holy of Holies is "God Crucified". Ever since I was "ruined" I never want to go back to accepting a message just because it seemed right. A message that comes from the Holy has the ability to melt a hard heart and go to the depths of my bowels. It is a message that must be re-conned with. Thanks for posting the quote from Art's book.

One should also be aware, lest you be turned off by it, is that brother Katz has a very extensive vocabulary, and his speaking can be of such precision that he can be a tough act to follow. His manner of speaking sounds like a formal theological essay at times. And initially, this turned me off from him. But realizing he was speaking as few have ever spoken, that drew me into listening to what God had to say through him all the more.

It's a double-edged sword really. Having a dictionary in hand isn't a bad idea when listening to one of his messages. Sometimes he will kindly define some vocab that he knows is probably over the average man's head. But I believe the carefulness with which he picks his words will cause you to be all the more appreciative of his message, in print and in audio.