Apostolic Foundation deals with the fact that Apostles (and also Prophets) are engaged in a spiritual building project. The building materials that they are using to construct this project are the "Living Stones" of believers.

1 Peter 2:5 (NIV)

⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

The "Living Stones" here are those believers who have come into salvation and have separated themselves from the world's system and are being purified by the teaching of the Apostles and Prophets.

1 Corinthians 12:28 (NIV)

²⁸ And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers . . .

The reason that the Apostles are listed first is that they provide the first foundation of building material (which is placed upon the cornerstone of Christ). The fruit of the Apostle is divine order and his teaching brings divine order to the lives of believers. It is the foundation of divine order that supports all of the building layers placed on top of it.

The second layer of foundation built upon the teaching of the Apostles is that of the Prophet. The fruit of the Prophet is holiness and fear of the Lord. This layer is built on top of the foundation of divine order laid by the Apostle and both layers are resting upon the corner stone of Christ.

Dual-gift Apostle/Teachers will disseminate bible teaching that always flows along the lines of producing the fruit of divine order in the lives of believers. The dual-gift of Prophet/Teacher will always flow along the lines of producing fruit of holiness and fear of the Lord in the lives of believers.

It is the teaching ministry of these two gifts that clean up the believers and prepare them as a living sacrifice to the Lord which is holy and acceptable in God's sight.

Christ the Cornerstone

1 Peter 2:6-8 (NIV)

⁶ For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

⁷ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,

⁸ and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message--which is also what they were destined for.

Jesus is that chosen and precious cornerstone that holds up the entire "spiritual" building project. The capstone speaks of that which is the foundation of everything with the foundation of Apostles and Prophets being built upon the revelation of Christ as Yeshua the Jewish Messiah.

Believers are Living Stones

1 Peter 2:10-12 (NIV)

¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹ Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

¹² Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

These scriptures speak of how God brought out of the world those Gentiles who were saved under the preaching of Apostle Paul. They were shown mercy by God and forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness. They were no longer part of the world so they are now referred to as aliens and strangers because they became "strangers" to the world when they were saved. They are called by God as believers to abstain from the sinful desires of their sin nature which war against them. The believers are called to live such good lives of holiness among the pagans that the unbelievers will see their good deeds and glorify God!

Apostle Paul the Master Builder

1 Corinthians 3:10-11 (NASB)

¹⁰ According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.

¹¹ For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul was a wise master builder and he laid the foundation in the lives of the new believers and this Apostolic foundation was divine order. This foundation was laid upon the foundation of Jesus Christ who is also called the chief corner stone which holds up the entire building. All of the foundation layers are placed upon the foundation of Christ the Messiah.

Romans 15:16 (NLT2)

¹⁶ I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle Paul was given a special "grace" from God for ministry to the Gentiles. He was highly fruitful and caused masses of Gentiles to come into the knowledge of God and salvation. But Paul did not stop with salvation but continued to lay a foundation of divine order in the lives of these new converts by his apostolic teaching which is foundational in nature. The overall goal of the teaching of Apostle Paul was to present the believing Gentiles to God as an acceptable offering to the Lord which were made holy by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit.

Sacrifice to God without Blemish

Leviticus 3:6 (CJB)

⁶ “‘If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Adonai is from the flock, then, when he offers it, no matter whether it is male or female, it must be without defect.

A sacrifice under the Old Testament era had to be without blemish when offered to the Lord. This principle carries over under the New Testament era as well because the believers are being purified under the ministry of both Apostles and Prophets so that they will become holy and without blemish in God's sight. The believers (whether male or female) are to be presented to God without blemish and this purification process starts with the teaching ministry of both Apostles and Prophets.

Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV)

²⁶ You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,

²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

²⁹ If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

As far as salvation is concerned there is neither Jew or Greek or slave or free or male or female because all humans come to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ the Jewish Messiah and his atoning work. They all come into the blessing of being Abraham's seed and heirs of God's promises whenever any human believes in Jesus and are saved.

Yes, there are still distinctions that remain after salvation between Jews and Greeks and male and female but as far as salvation is concerned every human regardless of origin or gender all comes to salvation by faith.

Cleansing and Purification of Believers

Leviticus 3:6 (NLT2)

⁶ “If you present an animal from the flock as a peace offering to the LORD, it may be a male or a female, but it must have no defects.

There is a process of purification going on with the believers and this process is initiated under the teaching ministry of both Apostles and Prophets who bring divine order and holiness and fear of the Lord into the lives of believers. This has the cleansing effect of purification just as the rod of a good father purifies his son from bad behavior.

A peace offering speaks of removing the sin which separates humans from God. This work was done by the atonement of Christ who paid for the sin of all humanity. But yet there still remains the process of sanctification to cleanse the believer of all that is impure and idols of the heart so that they will be a living sacrifice acceptable and holy to the Lord.

Isaiah 59:2 (NIV)

² But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

Sin separates humans from God because God is holy and cannot have sinful humans in his presence. God sent his Son Jesus to become a propitiation for human sin and pay for their sin just like the lambs were sacrificed to make atonement for sinful humans.

John 1:29 (NIV)

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Jesus was referred to as the "Lamb of God" because just like the Passover Lambs he was also sacrificed for the sins of humanity to remove their sin in order to make peace between humans and God. Sin separated humans from God but Jesus removed that sin so that whoever would believe in him would receive pardon and be restored to God again.

Matthew 27:50-51 (NIV)

⁵⁰ And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.

As soon as Jesus died then the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom thus signifying that the way to God has been now opened by the sacrifice of Jesus. Previously no one was allowed to enter the holy of holies which was covered by a thick curtain. But this curtain was torn in two showing that the way to God was made so that sinful mankind could come to God on the basis of the atoning work of Christ.

Hebrews 10:19-20 (NIV)

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,

²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,

Jesus made a way for humans to come to God by making atonement for their sins. The believers can now come boldly into the holy place of God because of the blood of Jesus which washes them of all sin.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 (NASB)

³ For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;

⁴ that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,

⁵ not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;

It is God's will for all believers to come into sanctification and that they abstain from sin (including sexual immorality) and that they know how to possess their own human body (vessel) in sanctification and honor and not be like the lustful unbelievers who do not know God.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 (NASB)

⁷ For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.

God did not call the believer to continue to live in impurity because they have been set free from sin by the power of God and cleansed by the blood of Jesus. But they are required to have sanctification to the Lord so that they will be a holy vessel without blemish or spot

Ephesians 5:26-27 (NLT2)

²⁶ to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.

²⁷ He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.

The body of Christ is made of believers and these believers are to be washed by the cleansing of God's word. This process takes place under the teaching ministry of both Apostles and Prophets who teach biblical principles and call God's people into divine order and holiness. Then these sanctified believers will be part of the glorious church that is without spot or wrinkle and have no blemish of sin upon them. They will be holy and without fault and sanctified as an offering acceptable to the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)

¹⁴ Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

The believer is cleansed by the blood of Jesus when they accept Jesus by faith at the moment of their salvation. But there continues to be a sanctification process for believers which is initiated by the bible teaching of both Apostles and Prophets who lay the foundation of divine order and holiness and fear of the Lord in the lives of believers. The believers are commanded to be holy because without "holiness" no one will see the Lord! This means that believers have not lost their human freewill after salvation and they can easily fall into sin by yielding to it. They have to use their human freewill to say NO to sin and YES to righteousness.

Leviticus 3:6 (CJB)

⁶ “‘If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Adonai is from the flock, then, when he offers it, no matter whether it is male or female, it must be without defect.

The Old Testament era speaks of sacrificing peace offerings to the Lord and this speaks of making atonement for sin so sinful humans can come to God. This was a type and a shadow that spoke of future things when Christ would come and sacrifice himself as an offering for the sin of all humanity past present and future.

Ephesians 2:14 (NASB)

¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,

Previously there was a barrier of sin between sinful humans and the holy God that prevented them from approaching God. But this was removed or broken down by the atonement of Christ who make a way for sinful humans to come to God by faith. This is why the curtain of the temple was torn in two signifying that the way to God had now been made open by the sacrifice of Jesus.

Sanctification of Believers

Romans 12:1 (NIV)

¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

Apostle Paul urged the believers to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice to God that was holy and pleasing in the sight of God. In fact, the believer using their human freewill to be holy is a spiritual act of worship toward God.

Offering themselves as a holy and living sacrifice to the Lord speaks of people submitting to the teaching of Apostles and Prophets and purification which these ministry gifts bring into the lives of believers. The ministry of Apostles and Prophets works a sanctification process when disorder is defined and forsaken and sin is exposed and repented of.

Romans 15:15-16 (NASB)

¹⁵ But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from God,

¹⁶ to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Paul was an Apostle to the Gentiles so that he cleaned them up by his teaching and they become an offering that is holy and sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Purification Starts with Believers

1 Peter 4:17-18 (HCSB)

¹⁷ For the time has come for judgment to begin with God’s household, and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?

¹⁸ And if a righteous person is saved with difficulty, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?

Purification starts in the house of God among the believers and it states that the righteous person is saved with difficulty speaking of the constant battle to overcome and resist the sin nature that fights against their newly saved born again spirit. If God brings judgment against believers for not walking in the holiness purchased for them but how much more will God's judgment come against the ungodly and sinners who refuse to be saved?

Purification of Levites

Malachi 3:3 (HCSB)

³ He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.

Under the Old Testament era the Levites would bring the sacrifices and examine them to make sure they were without defect or blemish and qualified as a sacrifice for the Lord. The New Testament Fivefold Ministry Levites do the same thing with believers as they cause sanctification and purification of the believers by the teaching of God's word. But the same teaching also works sanctification in the Levites themselves. The scripture above speaks of God sitting as a refiner and purifier and purifying the Levites like silver or gold which has the impurities removed by the process of smelting.

Once the Levites are purified then they will present the offerings of the believers that they sanctify by their teaching to the Lord. The teaching of Apostle and Prophet Levites brings sanctification and divine order and holiness and fear of the Lord to the lives of believers. This purifies the believers to become a living sacrifice to the Lord which are holy and acceptable in God's sight.