The Apostolic Distinctiveness
INTRODUCTION
The psalmist David looked up at creation — the skies, the moon, the stars — and was overwhelmed with one question: Why does God care so much about man? That same wonder must mark our lives as believers. We are not ordinary people. We carry a name, a calling, and a distinguishing mark: we are Apostolic.
But what does it actually mean to be Apostolic? It is more than a name tag on a church building. Being Apostolic means living in such a way that people look at you and wonder. It means bearing the hallmarks of God’s kingdom so clearly that, just as a child bears the character of their parent, you bear the unmistakable character of your Heavenly Father.
If you give birth to a child, the child carries your character, your features, your DNA. In the same way, when God gives birth to you through His Spirit, you carry His nature. So the question is: what signs show that you are truly His child — truly Apostolic?
I. WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
“And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
— Luke 24:49
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
— Acts 1:8
The Promise of Power
Before Jesus ascended to glory, He gave His disciples a command: wait. Wait for the promise. The Holy Spirit was not merely a comfort or a feeling — He was a Person, carrying supernatural power to transform ordinary men and women into witnesses of the risen Christ. Jesus Himself said, “I will send Him.” This was not an afterthought — it was the plan from the beginning.
As Apostolic believers, we do not simply believe in a historical Holy Spirit. We believe in a present, active, living Holy Spirit who dwells in us and works through us today. Receiving Him is not optional — it is fundamental to who we are.
The Holy Spirit Is for Everyone
The Holy Spirit is not reserved for adults alone. He is not given only to the long-standing members or the church elders. He is poured out on all flesh — young and old, male and female. Great change comes when we receive the Holy Spirit, and every believer — every one of us — is invited into that experience.
"Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit… For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will."””
— Romans 8:5–8
Led by the Spirit, Not the Flesh
The battle every believer faces is the battle between the flesh and the Spirit. Those dominated by their sinful nature cannot please God. But those in whom the Spirit dwells are enabled to live differently — to think differently, to choose differently, to act differently.
When you enter the house of God still tethered to the concerns of your flesh — distracted, disengaged, scrolling — you leave the same way you came. But when you come expectantly, ready to receive, the Holy Spirit meets you and you leave transformed. You leave with something.
You are not here by accident. Every time you walk through the doors of this assembly, come expecting to leave with something. Expect the Holy Spirit to move. Come with your heart open, not your hands full of other things.
The world around us is shifting — and the shift is not toward righteousness. The things we see today are growing darker. This is not the time to live in the flesh. This is the time to be led by the Spirit. This is what it means to be Apostolic.
II. WE BELIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES WITH GIFTS
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them… Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good… All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines."OST”
— 1 Corinthians 12:4–11
Gifts Freely Given — But Not Randomly
When the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you, He does not come empty-handed. He brings gifts — specific, powerful, supernatural gifts — designed to equip you for the work of God’s kingdom. Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, interpretation — these are the tools of the Apostolic believer.
The Spirit decides who receives which gift. He does not distribute them randomly. He distributes them purposefully, because He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your temperament, your capacity, your calling. The gift He places in you is the perfect fit for who He has made you to be.
Some Are Ready, Some Are Sleeping
The Spirit gives to those who are ready. This is why some people seem to be growing rapidly in the things of God while others remain in the same place year after year. It is not because God is playing favourites. It is because some have positioned themselves to receive.
Are you ready? Are you seeking? Are you in a posture of hunger before the Lord? The one who is always busy, always distracted, always elsewhere in their heart — that one will sleep through what God is releasing in this season. But the one who is alert, expectant, and yielded — that one will carry gifts that make others marvel.
They prayed, and lepers were cleansed. They commanded, and the dead arose. These were not super-humans — they were Apostolic believers who had positioned themselves to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. What you carry in God should make people stand in wonder.
Seek the Gifts
I am appealing to you — seek the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Do not be passive. Do not assume that because you have not experienced them yet, they are not for you. The Scripture says the Spirit gives to each one as He determines, but He gives to those who are ready and seeking.
With the Spirit of God, you are protected. With the Spirit of God, you carry something that goes beyond what any human being can achieve in their own strength. The Holy Spirit takes you beyond your natural limits. That is the Apostolic advantage.
III. WE BELIEVE IN GIVING — IN EVERY ASPECT
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
— Malachi 3:10
Do Not Come Empty-Handed
The Apostolic believer is a giver. Not out of compulsion. Not out of guilt. But out of a heart that has been transformed by the Spirit and understands that giving is a spiritual act of trust. We believe in giving in all aspects — of our time, our service, our talents, and yes, our finances.
We believe in the tithe. Not as a burden, but as a privilege — a covenant partnership with God over our resources. The instruction is clear: bring the whole tithe. Not a portion. Not what is convenient. The whole. God even invites us to test Him in this — one of the very few places in Scripture where He says, “Try Me. Put Me to the test and see what I will do.”
From the little you receive, give your tithe. God first. When you honour God with the firstfruits, He opens floodgates — blessings that overflow beyond your capacity to contain them.
“But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.”
— Deuteronomy 8:18
Remember Who Gives You the Ability
There is a dangerous temptation that comes with progress: the temptation to forget. To forget who gave you the strength, the skill, the opportunity, the health to work. Moses warned Israel about this — and the warning stands for us today.
Everything you have — your education, your business, your salary, your ideas — none of it originated with you. God gave you the ability to produce wealth. He did it to confirm His covenant. When we give back to Him from what He has given us, we are simply acknowledging the truth of what Scripture says: it all belongs to Him.
A true Apostolic believer does not hold tightly to what God has entrusted to them. They give freely, give cheerfully, and give consistently — because they know the Source never runs dry.
CONCLUSION
So then — what marks you as truly Apostolic?
You are a carrier of the Holy Spirit — and His power shows in how you live.
You are a vessel for the gifts of the Holy Spirit — and you actively seek and steward what He places in you.
You are a giver — honouring God with your tithe and offerings, trusting Him to open the floodgates.
These are not traditions. These are not formalities. These are the marks of a people set apart by God, filled with God, and sent by God. This is what the psalmist saw when he looked at creation and marvelled — a God so great, who has chosen to dwell in people as ordinary as us and make us extraordinary for His glory.
“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
You are the reason His name is majestic on the earth. Be Apostolic. Live it. Walk in it. Let people look at you and wonder — and in their wondering, give glory to God.
CLOSING PRAYER
Lord, we thank You. We are not here by accident — we are Your people, called by Your name, filled with Your Spirit. Today we surrender every part of us to You. Fill us afresh with Your Holy Spirit. Stir the gifts You have placed in us. And Lord, help us to be faithful in giving — of ourselves and of all You have entrusted to our hands. May people look at this assembly and know that You are in this place. To You be all glory. In Jesus’
name. Amen.
KEY SCRIPTURES
Psalm 8:1–9 | Luke 24:49 | Acts 1:8 | Romans 8:5–8
1 Corinthians 12:4–11 | Malachi 3:10 | Deuteronomy 8:18LIC DISTINCTIVENESS
What It Truly Means to Be Apostolic
The Apostolic Church Ghana — Afrancho Central Assembly
Sunday, 29th March 2026
Speaker: Deaconess Mary Ampofowaa
God is good — all the time.
And all the time — God is good.
ANCHOR SCRIPTURE
"O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens… When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"
