I am Apollos?

Saved at 8 years old, baptized in water at 24, in the Spirit at 44, my walk has not been “normal” by any measure…

Apollos, on Orthodox iconography

Does that sound vain or prideful to even ask? In Acts 18, we are introduced to a Messianic Jew from Egypt who just arrived in Turkey named Apollos who was “eloquent”, “instructed in the way”, and “fervent in spirit” who “taught accurately about Jesus”. I have had these same complements paid to me at various times over the years. It is extremely humbling to hear such things, as I know it is the Lord Himself using me despite my best attempts to screw it up.

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Acts 18:24-19:6

The example in the New Testament for becoming a disciple of Jesus is simply laid out: Repent and Believe the gospel, get baptized in water and receive power from the Holy Spirit. In my walk, those things were all separated by YEARS. Trust me, this is NOT the way you want to do it. Though I would imagine many of you reading this share the same story, or are still in the middle of it.

Raised in the Catholic church, I came to the cross and to saving faith at age 8 in the 3rd grade after reading CS Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. It was then that I realized “I am Edmund” – the Lion of Judah had done nothing to deserve death, He laid down His life for me. After years of wrestling with my calling and fighting through bad doctrine like “infant baptism”, I realized I had never actually been baptized! So at age 24 after getting serious about learning the Word and obeying it, I attended a Christian conference in Branson, Missouri and was baptized in a hotel pool. Praise God! By the way, if you are one of those Christians who was “baptized as a infant” by your church – THAT’S NOT BAPTISM and you need to do it right – and right now! Baptism has always been and will always be a free-will choice actively made by sober-minded Believers as a public, conscious act of dying to self and declaring our willingness to die for Jesus. No infant has ever done such a thing and never will. So even if you have been waiting 16 years like I did or even longer, don’t put if off anymore.

So by the time I got to my late 30s, God had pulled me out of the wrong-headed use of my gifts in politics and the corporate world, and into service at a local church and international online ministry. Ever since then He has been constantly “nudging” or “reminding” me of the aspect of Christianity I had hesitated to embrace all along, the supernatural. In other words, the Power that only the Holy Spirit can provide! All my life I had been given dreams by the Lord, even seen a Vision or two, and I never felt closer to God than when learning about and exercising my “prophetic” giftings during that time. So something was definitely cooking…

Arriving at today, I’m now 44. I have reached a point where I just want to submit to what Jesus wants. I’m done doing things – including ministry or church work – in my own strength. No more “systems” or “striving” or general spiritual frustration. I want holiness; no, I need it. I’m sick of grieving Him and quenching Him. I want Him to have His way, all the way, up to and including signs, miracles, tongues and any “crazy” thing He wants. I KNOW there is more. The Bible SAYS there is more! So just 8 days ago, February 18, 2020, a Brother in Christ who knew I was thirsty and ready to receive, laid hands on me and prayed. As he did, I opened my mouth in faith to “drink”. I felt a red hot “ball” swell up in my chest/belly, the “heat” radiating out to my skin. I could feel what I can only describe as “electricity” coming out to the surface of my body and staying there. Out of my opened mouth I wanted to praise God and pray – and it came out in a new language! I asked for it and He gave it.

“how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:13

“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:38

I realize this topic is opening a can of theological worms for many who are reading this. Half of you are likely now thinking I’m deceived and are regretting ever having anything to do with my ministry. Others are right now so happy for me and are shouting at their screen AMEN HALLELUJAH! It is very sad that such animosity and distrust exists over the power of the Holy Spirit Himself. Is the Lord desiring to end this needless division in the Body of Christ once and for all? I hope so.

So is my walking mirroring Apollos? He who needed understanding “more accurately”? In that respect, it appears so. I now believe and pray that the next step of his journey would also mirror my own: “the brethren (who were also baptized in the Holy Spirit) wrote, exhorting the disciples (in a new land) to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed…”

Comment below or reach out to me if the Lord is speaking to you about all this. Thank you Father for being so good to me and all of Your children!

Your Brother,

~ Christopher Mantei

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#apollos #holyspirit

Why Should Israel Matter to Me? Israel: the Center Stage of the End Times (Part 2 of 5) An Interview

Many thanks to Nicole and everyone at One Voice Magazine for this in-depth interview! The following is from their blog at https://onevoicemagazine.com/why-should-israel-matter-to-me-israel-the-center-stage-of-the-end-times-part-2-of-5-an-interview-with-christopher-mantei-by-nicole-gusto/

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We continue our interview with Pastor Christopher, the author of Flee to the Mountains: The Church’s Responsibility to Israel in the Final 7 years of the Age. Last week, we briefly talked about Israel’s Significance in the End Times.

Today’s post will be discussing important questions about Israel: How is this nation important in the End Times? Why is it significant to God—and why should it be significant to the Church? Read on as we also discover with Pastor Christopher how Israel has been the subject of satanic oppression and persecution across the centuries.

How Is Israel Important in the Last Days?

To me, it’s very simple. Israel means everything. There is no alternate people that God has chosen (Deut. 7:6, Psalm 33:12, Jeremiah 33:20, Romans 11:29). As Christians of gentile nations, we are grafted into that Kingdom (Romans 9, 10, 11).

This Kingdom is an “Israeli” kingdom based on the covenant God made with Abraham. It was a real estate deal. The covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was geographical. God promised to Abraham that his offspring would inherit a land and become a nation that would bless the world.

During Abraham’s encounter that night with God, God put him to sleep. God swore by Himself that He would honor the covenant. He put Abraham to sleep so that there would be zero chance of man breaking it (Genesis 15).

If Israel Is That Precious to God, Why Is It Always in Conflict?

Nowadays, Jerusalem has become the center of political issues. The conflicts happen because Satan hates Israel.

What God loves, the devil hates (John 10:10, Genesis 3:1, 1 Chron. 21:1, Job 2:4, Zechariah 3:1, Luke 22:31). Simple as that.

God’s Covenant with Israel

People might get hung up on their beliefs about the Jewish people and Israel today. However, that doesn’t change God’s covenant with them (Exodus 32:13, Deut. 9:27, Psalm 89:4, Luke 1:55).

God’s covenant is unchangeable, and ultimately, this is why the epistles are important. In Romans 11, Paul says that all Israel will be saved. Now we’re not there yet, but when the fullness of the Gentiles have come in—when Gentiles are grafted in to this tree, this natural root called Israel—Israel will be aroused into envy and be saved (Romans 11:14). We—as Gentiles—are going to serve in an Israeli kingdom, a Jewish kingdom with a Jewish king, since Jesus was indeed a Jewish man.

God opening up His Kingdom to the world was always prophetic of the Old Testament (Genesis 22:18, Deut. 32:43, Isaiah 60:3, Malachi 1:11). It was never just about Israel, but about God’s election and sovereignty.

The Satanic Oppression Against Israel

If we look at the controversies regarding Jerusalem, we’d see that there is no legitimate reason why nations ought to care about the location of the true capital of the Jewish people. Statistically, the Jews are almost nonexistent! There’s a couple of million Jews scattered all over the world, while the rest are in a very small country.

It’s supernatural. There’s a satanic component that is fighting against God’s plan through Israel.

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” (Psalm 2:1- 6)

“Why do the nations rage? Why do the heathen gather?” Because it’s about the Son of God whom they hate. Nations in darkness refuse to be subject to His rule.

So what does Israel have to do with it? Israel has everything to do with it. God has always chosen Israel. He has put His name there.

But I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there… (2 Kings 21:4, 1 Chronicles 6:6:)

The Significance of Jerusalem

God has declared His name over the City of Jerusalem on Mt. Moriah. Isn’t that specific? It’s just one little place in the world where He says He’ll put His name. His name will stay there, and He will rule from there.

And Satan is opposing it all. If you go to Jerusalem today, you won’t see a temple. You’ll see a rock with a golden dome on it. There are Arabic inscriptions on that building that declare, “God has no son ; God is not a father” (20+ instances in the Quran state this, like Sura 112:3: “He has not begotten and has not been begotten.” Sura 9:30 also states: “The Christians say, ‘The Christ is God’s son. May God destroy them! How perverted are their minds!’ ”).

That’s anti-Christ 101. That’s the bait into Islam when people believe it and oppose the Jewish sovereignty of Jesus.

That’s why Israel has always been important in the history of mankind. That is the place that God has chosen. He is going to rule from there. Jesus is coming back there. (Isaiah 2:3, 31:4, 59:20, Micah 4:2, Zechariah 14, Luke 1:32, Acts 1:11). There is no other place. He is not coming to Washington. Or to Baghdad. Or Rome. Or to any of these other places. He’s coming to Jerusalem.

That’s why Israel is going to be the center of His attention, as it will be in the world’s attention during these last days.

It will also have Satan’s attention.

Israel Is a Time Clock for the End Times

Israel is God’s time clock. You literally don’t have to look anywhere else. Because by now, this is what God is working with. We might get mixed up on the End Time prophecies (for example, in Daniel) about the weeks and years mentioned regarding the Last Days. But when you look at other passages like in Daniel 9, you’ll find details constantly referring back to Israel.

There will be a sequence of events to anticipate. For example, you have the prophesied reconstruction of the Jewish Temple and its desolation (Daniel 8:11, 9:27, 11:31, 12:11, Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14, Luke 21:20, 2 Thessalonians 2:4, Revelation 11:1). These future events are key to that nation and city. All the other significant events of the Last Days are centered on Israel.

It’s because of these facts that we—as a Church—have an important responsibility in relating to Israel during the End Times.

Continue with us next week when we discuss with Pastor Christopher How The Church Must Relate to Israel in The End Times.

To purchase his book, Flee to The Mountains: The Church’s Responsibility to Israel in the Final 7 Years of The Age, check out Christopher Mantei’s website at Wings of The Eagle.