Apostles

"Let's consider the meaning of this word apostle, beginning with its origin in the original language of the New Testament. The Greek word is apostolos, which has a very specific meaning: 'one sent forth.' ... In various Bible versions, apostolos is sometimes translated as 'messenger.' ... using this term is rather unfortunate and slightly misleading. The meaning of apostolos closely corresponds to a more familiar word in modern Christianity, which is the word missionary. Missionary comes from a Latin verb, and it means 'one who is sent.' Since apostolos means 'one who is sent forth,' the meanings are obviously very close. In considering the nature of apostles, you would do well to think in terms of missionaries, though not all apostles are missionaries, nor are all missionaries apostles."¹⁸⁵ Derek Prince further states that

An apostle is not an apostle unless he is sent forth. In order to be sent forth, you must have someone to send you ... the local church is responsible for the apostles it sends out—for their ethics, their morals, and their doctrine. If an apostle ever goes astray, the local church is entitled to withdraw its endorsement of his apostolic ministry.¹⁸⁶

The first apostle was chosen by God and sent forth to establish His church: his name is Jesus. He in turn selected twelve before the day of Pentecost who were responsible for distributing the Holy Ghost, witnessing on Jesus' resurrection, and establishing churches. "And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles" (Luke 6:13). The names of these twelve apostles were: Simon (whom he also named Peter), Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee, John his brother, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew (Levi the son of Alphaeus), Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Lebbaeus (surnamed Thaddaeus, and also called Judas the brother of James), Simon the Canaanite called Zelotes, and Matthias (replaced Judas Iscariot). Unique to these apostles were two functions not shared with the other apostles to come:

1. Distribute the Holy Ghost throughout Judea (Acts 2 – Acts 7), then Samaria (Acts 8), and then the rest of the world (Acts 10) once they first received it in Jerusalem. "Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen ... But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:2, 8). Just like they received the anointed bread and fish from Jesus to feed the multitude. See "Baptize with the Holy Ghost and with Fire" for details on this.
2. Be a witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ: "And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning" (John 15:27); "And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all" (Acts 4:33).

The apostles that were chosen by God after the Holy Ghost entered the world were sent forth by God, or by a church, to establish churches and to bring order to already established churches. "And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed" (Acts 14:23). "And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily" (Acts 16:5). The names of ten of these twelve apostles were: Paul (formerly Saul), Barnabas, Judas (surnamed Barsabas), Silas (also called Silvanus), Apollos, Timothy (also called Timotheus), Titus, Andronicus, Junia, and James the Lord's brother (Acts 14:14; Acts 15:22; Romans 16:7; 1 Corinthians 1:1; 1 Corinthians 4:6-9; 1 Corinthians 9:5; 1 Corinthians 15:7; 2 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 8:16-23; 2 Corinthians 12:18; Galatians 1:19; Colossians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2:6; Titus 1:4-5). Apostles preached the gospel, brought people to the Lord, and set up functioning churches: "According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon" (1 Corinthians 3:10). "And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches" (Acts 15:41). "They did not leave just groups of disciples or prayer groups but established, orderly, local congregations ... The apostle is the master contractor who understands every phase of the building—foundation to roof ... In other words, [an apostle can] do the entire job, from top to bottom ... The ministry of the apostle includes one or more of the other four ministries of prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher. The breadth of gifting required for an apostle to set [a church] in order shows how broad the apostolic mantle must spread."¹⁸⁷ "Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches" (2 Corinthians 11:28). See Acts chapters 13-15.

Apostles differ from evangelists in several ways: apostles generally worked in teams, apostles established and ordered churches, and apostles were generally a composite of all five ministries of Jesus Christ. "The evangelist is God's 'paratrooper,' one who drops in behind enemy lines and does great damage before the enemy even knows he is there. The apostle is generally the composite of all five main ministries. He can plow up the ground like the evangelist but also finish the whole building. And because he delves into issues of order, he does his work in a team."¹⁸⁸ "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away" (Acts 13:2-3). "The true apostle is not afraid of team ministry, to use a phrase that has become quite popular. It is healthy for those who exert significant authority to move in strong, interpersonal relationships ... The apostle, prophet, and pastor are concerned with church order, which is so important that God has not committed it to a single individual. This plurality is a key element to look for in apostolic ministry."¹⁸⁹ Note Paul teaming with Titus: "Whether any do enquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellowhelper concerning you: or our brethren be enquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ" (2 Corinthians 8:23).

In the first church, Israel, God called Bezaleel and Aholiab to build the tabernacle of the congregation:

And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work. And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work. (Exodus 35:30-35)

"The apostolic ministry emerges first in a region, which makes sense because it is a ministry which extends the kingdom of God into new regions. The apostles ordain elders to conserve the fruit of their work, and from these groups of elders [and apostles] new [ministers] ultimately emerge. This is a cycle that can continue endlessly. It is far superior to seminaries and Bible schools because it depends on three things: intimate association, interdependence, and long-term relationships. It is not superficial training; everything is forged in the heat of ongoing mission work and church life. It is not untested or artificial."¹⁹⁰

For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. (1 Corinthians 4:9-13)

In the context of church authority, apostles "out rank" all other ministers of Jesus Christ. The apostles will be honored in the resurrection to sit with Jesus and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. "And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Luke 22:29-30). In the revelation given to John, he sees the twenty-four apostles seated with the Lord: "And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold" (Revelation 4:4). It should be noted, however, that apostles were needed initially to establish and order the churches; that is, apostles established the doctrine of Christ: "That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour" (2 Peter 3:2). Christianity is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and [Old Testament] prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:20). With the doctrine of Christ established (2 Peter 3:2) by the twenty-four apostles cited above, God has not called anyone else to the office of an apostle. Anyone claiming the office of an apostle after this period is a liar (Revelation 2:2). "A true apostle would point out the false ones. Yet today, not only do those who claim to be apostles fail to do so, but there are threats and manipulations for those who do not go along with what they are trying to portray. 'Jezebel,' 'Antichrist,' and 'Blasphemer of the Holy Spirit' are common terms used for those who speak against them. Alarmingly, these impostors claim to be exclusively without error in their interpretations and teachings on these matters. They are to be questioned by no one. In reading the letter of Jude, we find him exhorting the believers to contend for their faith among apostates in the church. More specifically, verse 17 reminds the church of the apostles' warnings of mockers coming in the last days that are natural men not having the Spirit. Today we find those who claim to have more of it than others. Nowhere do we find the apostles preaching they are anointed and certainly did not imply they were more so than others. The danger of these mislead leaders is that they will cause divisions without realizing the harm they do, nor the judgment that they will eventually incur upon themselves."¹⁹¹ Thus in the context of church authority, prophets now "out rank" all other ministers of Jesus Christ: evangelists, pastors, and teachers. This runs counter to the false doctrine of apostolic succession held by many (see Deception and Apostolic Succession in "The Pre-Modern Church (Built on Sand): Church of Man") in which bishops are supposed to represent the successors of the apostles. In the "church hierarchy" listed in 1 Corinthians 12:28, prophets "out rank" bishops: "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." Please note that in the referenced verse, evangelists, pastors and teachers are grouped together simply as teachers (or bishops). On a final note, the calling of apostle is exclusive to men. An apostle ordains elders—"the husband of one wife"; therefore, since a woman must "have power on her head" (1 Corinthians 11:10), a woman is not called as an apostle lest she be made "to usurp authority over the man" (1 Timothy 2:12) which is sin.

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