Apostolic Mandate 2: The Call of Paul and Moses
Welcome to part two of our series on the six apostolic mandates. In our first blog, we explored the call to be a spiritual parent. But not all apostles are called to be parents. Some are called to design, to map out the future, and to lay a Godly blueprint. These are the pattern makers.
The Blueprint Designers of the Bible: Paul and Moses
Our two standout examples of this mandate are Paul in the New Testament and Moses in the Old Testament. Both men didn’t just minister, they created Godly frameworks. They designed patterns given directly by God.
Exodus 25:9 says,
“According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.”
God gave Moses a heavenly design, down to the tiniest detail. He wasn’t allowed to alter a single design or add an extra ring. Why? Because pattern makers are trusted with heaven’s architecture. They are precise. Exact. Unyielding when it comes to spiritual specs.
They might seem picky or overly analytical to others. They often come off as intense, meticulous, and even “too much.” But that’s how God wired them, because He needs someone who will execute the vision exactly as He gave it.
If you feel a burden to design new structures, create fresh ministry models, or reimagine how the Church should function, this may be your mandate.
The Process Is Painful (But Worth It)
Let’s not sugarcoat it: becoming a pattern maker takes serious training.
You don’t get to skip steps as a pattern maker. You must wait on the mountain. You must seek Him for every line, every measurement, every instruction. This role doesn’t belong to the impulsive or the impatient. It belongs to those who will labor in the secret place until the divine download is complete.
If you are not naturally this person, then God will take time to craft you into this vessel. It's a slow and painful process. Your character will be challenged, but it's necessary for this mandate.
Pattern Makers Are Not Always the Builders
Here’s something we don’t often talk about: You might not be the one who builds what you designed.
Look at King David. He received the pattern for the temple, and his heart burned to build it. But God said no. The building of the temple would be reserved for his son, Solomon.
In the same way, God may give you the pattern, but ask someone else to execute it. Why? Because your mandate isn’t about one project, it’s about many. God needs you to keep seeking Him for the next design, and the next, and the next.
Even Moses, the ultimate pattern maker, didn’t physically build the tabernacle himself. God told him exactly who to appoint for the task. His job was to get the blueprint, and then empower others to bring it to life (Exodus 31).
So if you’re a pattern maker, don’t get discouraged when God asks you to hand off your vision. You were never meant to do it all. You were meant to birth it in the Spirit and trust others to finish it in the natural.
We Can’t Do It Alone
One of the most powerful truths about the apostolic is that we need each other. Pattern makers can’t thrive without builders. Spiritual parents can’t nurture sons without structures in place to support them. No one apostle carries the full picture.
Even Paul didn’t work alone. He partnered with Silas, Timothy, Titus, and others to fulfill his mandate. They functioned together, unique, but united. This is how the Church should operate.
The Lord is raising up apostles with humility, apostles who recognize one another’s strengths, and who are ready to submit their patterns for the greater whole.
Pattern Makers Birth the New
Ultimately, a pattern maker is a pioneer. They don’t just copy what’s been done, they create what’s never been seen. They build the systems, blueprints, and spiritual foundations that others will live out.
But not every apostle is an originator. And that’s okay.
The Church needs this diversity. We need the builders, the parents, the warriors, the reformers, and yes, the designers.
So if you find yourself burning with ideas, longing to build something new, frustrated by flawed systems, and wired for detail, then God may be calling you to this second mandate.
Ask Him to confirm it. Ask Him for the pattern.
And when He gives it, guard it, write it down, and wait for His instruction.
Because what He gives you might just shape the Church of tomorrow.
I highly recommend getting Apostle Colette Toach's The Apostolic Mandate, as she dives deeper into this topic. There, she explains how to function in this mandate:
