Truth Unchained

Today, a lot of emphasis has been placed on the title of a church leader. The Bible does give specific titles to individuals depending on their role within a church. For example, 1 Timothy 3 lists the qualifications for bishops and deacons. These are God-ordained titles with clear instructions per the Word of God. There are churches, however, that use titles that are reserved solely for God.  An example would be Reverend. Psalm 111:9 states "He sent redemption unto His people: He hath commanded His covenant for ever: holy and reverend is His name."  Reverend is the gerundive of the verb "revereri" from which we get the word "revered". Anyone that refers to themselves with this term is using a title that belongs to God alone. What about those that call themselves apostles? There are men that lead churches and preach to other churches that use this title.  

In the Bible, there were 14 men that used this title:
The 12 Apostles (Matthew 10:2-4, Luke 6:13-16)
Matthias (Acts 1:26)
Paul (Acts 9:15-16, Rom. 1:1, 1 Cor. 1:1)

By discovering what an apostle is (or was), we can learn two very important things:
1) Are there apostles today?
2) Is this a title that leaders of a church can use?

In Luke 6:13, "He called unto Him His disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also He named apostles". Jesus Himself equates apostle with disciple. So one qualification for being an apostle is to be a disciple of Jesus. Another commonality between the 14 Apostles is that they were all Jewish. When Peter started his ministry in Acts, he started with the Jews. That was when Matthias was chosen by casting lots (Acts 1:23-26). Paul was a Hebrew as well and lists his background in Philippians 3:5-6.

When Jesus sent out His apostles in Matthew 10 and Luke 6, He told them that they would have certain gifts: "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils..." (Matt. 10:8). Jesus also told them not to bring anything with them or to collect any money (10:9-10). They were only to accept food as a means of payment. The Apostle Paul lived this way as well (2 Cor. 6:10). In Luke 9:6 and Acts 5:12-16, 9:36-40, 19:11-12, and 20:7-12 we see the Apostles performing the miraculous acts that Jesus had instructed.

"Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds." - 2 Corinthians 12:12

To fully understand apostleship, it is necessary to keep in mind that not only were these Jewish men, but these signs were for the Jews. In 1 Corinthians 1:22, Paul said "for the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom". In Exodus chapter 4, God told Moses that He would allow him to perform signs in His name. The Apostles were Jews performing signs for the Jews. Paul's ministry for the Gentiles was based upon faith in Jesus Christ. He said in 2 Corinthians 5:7 "for we walk by faith, not by sight". The Jews needed signs to know that the Messiah had arrived (Jesus' ministry) and the Jews needed signs to see that they crucified their Messiah (Peter's ministry). Paul stated "wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not" when speaking about the miracle of speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 14:22). When did this happen? In Acts chapter 2 when the Apostles were speaking to the Jews!

So far, we have learned that the Apostles were poor Jewish men that stayed poor and performed marvelous signs for the Jews and they all saw Jesus personally.  In Acts 2:21-22, we learn that another qualification for being an apostle was witnessing John the Baptist's ministry and witnessing the resurrection of Christ.  The Pharisees and Sadducees witnessed John baptizing (Matt. 3:7) and Paul was a Pharisee (Phil. 3:5).  

In Revelation 21:14, the Apostle John saw "the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb". Notice that John said "THE twelve apostles" (emphasis mine) and not "twelve of the apostles". Could it be that one of the qualifications for being an apostle was to be appointed directly by Jesus Himself? Matthias was chosen by lot which was an Old Testament (i.e. before the Holy Spirit permanently remained within believers) tradition under the New Testament (when the Holy Spirit speaks to us directly). In Acts 1:26, the lot fell onto Matthias and he was numbered with the Eleven. Paul was called directly by Jesus in Acts chapter 9 and ended up writing 2/3 of the New Testament. Matthias was never mentioned again. Personally, I believe that Peter chose Matthias in a rush to be an Apostle. The Bible reveals that Jesus chose Paul directly just as He chose the previous men.

According to the Bible, it is evident that apostles do not exist any more. Reflect upon what the Bible says and compare that with modern "apostles". Have you seen anyone raise the dead? Have you seen a man cleanse a leper? Have you seen a man legitimately healed? Do any of the individuals that claim apostleship make personal gain? Do they dress in expensive suits? Were any of them alive when John the Baptist had his ministry? Or when Jesus conquered death?

Attributes of the Apostles

Any person that refers to themselves as an apostle today is either misguided or a heretic per the Word of God.

"I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars."
- Revelation 2:2