Ministry of the Apostles, posted by QuineWhat is the worst gift you have ever received? It doesn’t take me long to think of the one on the top of my list. It was our first Christmas after we were married. My wife’s mother, my mother-in-law, gave me a present. We were in my in-law’s home, all the extended family and grand kids gathered around the tree, as I unwrapped a sugar bowl of our china. My first thought was Christian enough; “Lord, what in heaven’s name is it?” My mother-in-law explained, “I wanted to make sure you had a complete set of your china.” We still don’t.
From my unbiased perspective, this was a useless gift. We have used it maybe three times in all our years of marriage. It sits in our cupboard. By the time we pull it out to use it again the sugar has gone from a sedimentary to the metamorphic rock stage. To me it is worse than useless: it adds little to our life (but for more frustration) and takes up space in our home.
The same is true for some Christians and their spiritual gifts. God has given each of us one or more spiritual gifts, but many set them in the cupboard of their lives, only to bring them out to be used on rare occasions—and even then only after extensive cleaning first! In effect, all they do is take up space as their gifts grow harder and harder over time. Let’s examine the spiritual gifts to end stagnation for us!
Ephesians 4:14-16
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Let’s look at some of these “parts.”
The gift of “Apostle”
Originally, the word “apostle” was used for ships being sent out for cargo or on military expeditions. It was rarely used of people, until in the New Testament where it is used commonly for the twelve who witnessed the resurrection of Christ, and where Paul referred to those who, as delegates of Jesus Christ, were sent to propagate the message of salvation and start new local churches.[1] While the root word includes the concept of “being sent out,” it focuses on being a representative and not necessarily physical travel. This is borne out by the fact that the Twelve Apostles mostly remained in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1). There they continued to function as ambassadors for Jesus Christ.
The New Testament sets forth clear requirements to be an Apostle. In the Gospels many were called disciples but only a select group of them were called “apostles.” Matthew 10:2 identifies them as the “twelve apostles.” The book of Acts also calls them “the apostles.” For example, when Matthias was picked in Acts 1:21-26, “he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” Two requirements had to be met: 1) to have accompanied Jesus during his earthly ministry, and 2) to be an eyewitness of His resurrection (compare 1 Cor 9:1-2).
Verification that one was an apostle was the ability to perform miraculous signs and wonders (2 Cor 12:12). Besides the twelve, Paul and Barnabas are called apostles in Acts 14:4 and 14. Clearly Paul meets the requirement of seeing the resurrected Jesus, since he met Him in Acts 9 on the highway to Damascus. The first two Chapters of Galatians is spent validating Paul’s apostleship. But we don’t have the confirming evidence demonstrating why Barnabas is called an apostle. We must presume he met the requirements. However, it is important to note that no other mortal man is clearly called an apostle.
The gift of apostle was one of the foundation gifts for the church (Eph 2:20). Once a foundation was is laid it did not need to be laid again. Other materials (in this case gifts) are laid upon it. It is likely then that the gift of an apostle was only bestowed by God at the beginning, the foundation, of the church age.
A great example of a person with the gift of apostle is Peter. Peter met all the requirements. Certainly he meets the qualification of seeing the Lord, both during His earthly ministry, and after His resurrection. Peter also performed innumerable signs and wonders, as Acts 5:12-15 indicates.
The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.
Not only did he walk with Jesus personally, perform signs and wonders, but Peter clearly served as an ambassador and representative of the Lord, as the meaning of “apostle” would indicate. In Acts 10 Peter was sent by God to witness to a Gentile named Cornelius. Upon arriving at his house he explains to Cornelius, “God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”
Cornelius answers, “I sent for you immediately, and it was good for you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”
Peter was sent to take the message from the Lord Jesus to those people. He served as a representative or ambassador of the King. Clearly, Peter was an apostle.
Conclusions:
1) Only the Twelve apostles, Barnabas and Paul are clearly apostles.
2) An Apostle had to be a direct witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
3) The sign of an Apostle was the ability to perform signs and wonders.
4) The gift of apostle was a foundation gift for the church. Because of this foundational aspect, the gift of Apostle is not included in the spiritual gift assessment survey explained in this book.
[1]See Herald Hoehner’s explanation in Ephesians, An Exegetical Commentary, Baker Academic, 2002, pp. 134-25, and 540-42.
