APOSTLES TODAY

Today there are many who think and say that they are apostles, and this is increasing as times goes on. Not all these are necessarily apostles and ultimately for those who are called, tests will come to see if they are approved. Some people are genuinely great ministers for Christ, and because they have a large ministry, it has been assumed they are an apostle, and some have taken the title. Others have been given the title because of the denomination, or the organisational position they are in. Still others think that because they plant churches (like Paul the Apostle), or are in a position of influence over many churches, that they must therefore be an apostle, and so have used the title. And some people just like titles and love to call themselves apostle. 

Many of the people described above will be ‘false apostles’ in a ‘non harmful’ way. They do have a part to play in God’s kingdom, but they are mistaken about their role and they are not apostles. On the other hand, satan will also sow into the ‘field of God’ false apostles who are in reality not the Lord’s ministers at all. These are ‘false brothers’ and must be recognised or they could do great damage. Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 describes this scenario, “For such men are false apostles [spurious, counterfeits], deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles (special messengers) of Christ (the Messiah). And it is no wonder, for satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as ministers of righteousness. [But] their end will correspond with their deeds”. 

Over and above this, there is a great work of Christ in raising genuine apostles. There may be more than we realise in every nation, and they are being prepared for what God has planned. True apostles are multiplying today and being brought to maturity.There are a various initiatives seeking to gather apostles together for relationship and support. These groups are able to validate the ministries of those they know, without that of itself being the final proof that any individual is an apostle.

The Difference between Modern and Bible Apostles

There are obvious differences between the world we live in, and that in which the Bible was written. These differences are cultural, technological, and practical, plus it seems evident that the early church had more grace and power than we typically experience. Reading the book of Acts makes us feel far from being like the early Church, and yet the Bible is clear that ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty… Haggai 2:9. 

When Jesus conducted His first miracle in Cana the wedding host said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now”… John 2:10. God likes to do His best things last. He doesn’t start with His best thing, and then do His second best, until finally all He has are options of diminishing quality. The Body of Christ in the world today is supposed to supercede the Church in the book of Acts. This we have not yet done, and apostles are needed to help us get there. Right now God is restoring apostles, but they don’t yet have their full authority. A fuller understanding of who apostles are, and what they do has not arrived, and even those that have been called, may not understand it themselves. There is much to learn, and a journey still to take.

With the restoring of apostles, there is still much difference between what we see, (or think we see) in scripture and what we see (or appear to) see today. Part of this difference is due to the unfolding understanding, and part due to the differences already mentioned above.

So What Are The Differences?

Modern day apostles do not yet posses the freedom and the authority that Biblical apostles had, but they will in time. They don’t effectively govern churches today, but this is where Christ is taking it. They are yet to really find their place in the Body of Christ. Many modern day “apostles” have not been tested to be apostles, and some of them in fact aren’t apostles at all. There doesn’t seem to be an adequate practical and widely understood way of how to test or approve of apostles yet.

Modern day apostles may not “seem” like their biblical counterparts because the everyday life aspect of Biblical apostles is not mentioned much in scripture. The biblical apostles often seem more ‘super’ than modern day apostles. Modern Day apostles have conveniences available to them that their Biblical counterparts didn’t have such as technology, world travel and common languages. Not all modern day apostles are going to be like Saint Paul. It is not church planting and travelling which determine apostolic gifting. Anyone can travel and plant churches.

There are some similarities between Biblical and Modern day apostles too. They should both be walking with Christ, know the mind of the Lord, be willing to serve and go wherever directed. The apostle is a “sent one” (apostolos) which in Greek means “to be sent” – an ambassador for Christ. Christ should still command His apostles and they should still listen. Though times, languages, clothing and technology will change, one thing should remain; the heart of God in the apostle. The apostle should be gentle, humble, and obedient to Christ. The apostle should love, and in doing so teach the believers how to love.

The Nature of Apostles

Apostles do a variety of things, and have a variety of personality types and traits. Aside from their own ‘quirks’ expressions of speech and habits, what is the nature of an apostle? It is not from the personality of the apostles that we draw this, or from the outward appearance of the ministry of an apostle, but from the character and qualities of the people themselves. When we seek to determine what qualities an apostles has, it is not skills, talents, abilities and things they do that we examine as much as who they are and what type of people they are. It is inward that we must look.

Apostles are willing to suffer. Jesus himself was a suffering servant (Isaiah 53) and an apostle… Hebrews 3:2. He is the example for all other apostles. Paul himself suffered and was in fact called by Christ to suffer (Acts 9:16) much. All of the original apostles suffered, and whilst not every apostle will suffer to this degree, there is or should be a willingness to endure whatever hardship presents itself for the sake of Christ. If this willingness is not present, the apostle may either not be genuine, or not yet be properly formed. The Spirit of the Lord gave me a vision in the night: I was holding an apostolic meeting and when I began to talk, I said, “all apostles should be able to endure suffering”. While the words were still in my mouth, all the male apostles walked out of the meeting. Later, after a few years, I remembered this vision and asked the Lord, “why did the male apostles walk out on my statement“? The Lord replied, “They always do [walk out]”! When I remembered what the apostles did at Gethsemane, I really got amused. 

Gentleness [meek/humble] is the hallmark of an apostle. Jesus said to learn from Him, and set the example of being gentle and humble… Matthew 11:29. Paul the apostle said “.. but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children”… 1 Thessalonians 2:19. The call of an apostles demands that gentleness be associated with it. Christ, to whom all authority was given, became the least, as servant, and was gentle. It only follows that apostles, to whom much is given, must also become low, gentle, humble and serve. Other Qualities of Apostles: servants of the Church, recipients of apostolic grace, great love, a heart to discipline, humility, patience, trustworthiness, undivided loyalty to Christ and of a different spirit.

The qualities above have nothing to do with how charismatic a person is, or what great leadership skills they may have developed, or whether they have a mind for big business. Anyone is able to be charismatic or have a mind for big things. God is looking for a certain measure of heart. Apostles are not born, they are called, and then made as they suffer, obey, and follow Christ regardless of difficulty. It is through the years that they become the kind of people God asks them to be.

If talents or outward qualities were required, some of the world’s most talented unbelieving people would be serving Christ. God is looking for people of character, and of these He calls some to be apostles. He then trains them over many years to become how He requires. Jesus took His Own 12 disciples on a fast-tracked 3 year intensive boot camp, and then reinforced it up with visual demonstrations of His resurrection, and the day of Pentecost to set them correctly.

For most apostles, the process takes longer, but still requires yieldedness and a moving of the Spirit in their lives. The Apostle Paul, even after a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, spent 14 years in the desert being moulded by Christ into the apostle he was to become. From that moment on, he still continued to grow and be changed. If big ministry, success with money, business interests, charismatic leadership, prophetic gifting or big influence were the qualities of an apostle, then a lot more people would be apostles.

When the time came for Samuel to anoint a king for Israel from the sons of Jesse, he was directed by the Lord to ignore the 7 handsome older brothers and instead choose David to be King. God was looking at the heart. This is how God selects apostles.

Qualifications to be an Apostles

The Bible lists qualifications for both elders and deacons, and although the qualifications for apostles are not listed all in one place, they are still found in Scripture. There is a reason for this. Elders were appointed by apostles. Paul wrote to Timothy telling him what requirements elders needed to have. This was part of Paul’s training of Timothy. It is also worth mentioning that the elders of the scripture are not the same thing as the elders today in any given local church. Biblical Elders were leaders over a whole ‘church’ in a city. Their appointment was more significant and it was essential for it to be done accurately. Today with many congregations in a city and multiple sets of elders, we have yet to see a return to the former type of eldership.

With deacons, these were appointed by leadership too and so Paul also wrote specifying the qualifications for that. The deacons in Jerusalem were appointed by a consensus of the community of believers, however it was under the direction of leadership that this happened, so in that context, it was still a leadership decision.

Apostles however are called by Christ, appointed by Christ and must declare themselves to be an apostle. It is after this that they should be tested to see if they really are an apostle. So the character of an apostle, the fruit of an apostle’s life and their devotion and love to Christ and the believers will testify that their call is correct. The procedure for an apostle being selected and rising up is different to that of elders and deacons. No prophecy should predict an apostolic calling. Only Christ can choose, call, train, commission and send His apostles. In Mark 3:14-15 it says, “And He appointed twelve to continue to be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach [as apostles or special messengers]. And to have authority and power to heal the sick and to drive out demons”. This passage gives us 3 basic qualifications as a starting place for apostles. Firstly they must be people who are close to Christ, secondly they must be completely obedient and willing to be “sent ones,” and thirdly they will have authority to do Christ’s work.

The above are not the only qualifications an apostle needs. Other believers may also meet these requirements. Here are additional qualifications needed: Submission to Christ – not a law unto themselves. (Philippians 2:5-8). Willingness to suffer for Christ. (Colossians 1:24-29). Holiness. (2 Corinthians 1:12). Sincerity. (2 Corinthians 1:12). Grace on their lives. (2 Corinthians 1:12). In addition, we earlier discussed the nature of the apostle, and these qualities dovetail and overlap significantly with those. Apostles should be people who love wholeheartedly, who care for the whole Body of Christ (not just their own interests), who have a heart for the poor, the widow and orphans, and who have a sacrificial life. Jesus said “You will know them by their fruit”. An apostle must physically see Jesus. I have extensively discussed this question in my book, the ‘True Apostolic Covering’ together with: can a Woman be an Apostle? Apostles and Spiritual Covering. How does Apostolic Covering Work? Write on this blog for a free copy. 

Those who God calls, he equips. That process is not quick, it is the work of years.