Ministry Offices - The Apostle
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-16 (NLT)
Ministry Offices - The Apostle
David’s Notes from Bible College
THE APOSTLE
1 CORINTHIANS 12:28
28 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.
EPHESIANS 4:11
11 And he gave some, APOSTLES….
The ministry gift which is first on the list is the apostle . However, that does not mean it is the most important ministry gift in the local body today, also it does not mean that apostles are to dominate over other ministry gifts in the Body of Christ .
Paul was listing these offices in the order because of the way God "set" or developed ministry gifts in the Early Church .
In the establishing of the universal Church following the resurrection of Jesus, the apostles and prophets were obviously the most important ministry offices because they were the first ministry gifts to be developed or “the first ones set" in the Body of Christ.
The Greek word APOSTOLOS translated apostle means a person sent by God to a specific area. They are sent out by God. Jesus Christ is the greatest example of a sent one .
JOHN 20:21
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you : AS MY FATHER HATH SENT ME, even so send I you.
A true apostle is always one with a commission who is sent by the Holy Spirit. Acts 13 gives a picture of the sending forth of Barnabas and Paul to be apostles to the Gentiles.
The signs of an apostle. The Bible speaks of the signs of an apostle :
2 CORINTHIANS 12:12
12 Truly THE SIGNS of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in SIGNS, and WONDERS, and MIGHTY DEEDS.
What are these signs? Signs, wonders, and mighty deeds.
The fruit of an apostle. The Bible also talks about the works or fruit of the apostolic ministry:
1 CORINTHIANS 9:1
1 Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye MY WORK in the Lord.
The fruit of Paul's apostolic ministry were people who were solidly established in the Word.
1 CORINTHIANS 9:2
2 If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you : for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.
Paul pointed to solidly established churches and said that they were the seal or the fruit of his apostolic ministry. In his epistle, Paul addresses many of his letters to those churches he had established. And in First Corinthians 4:15, we see the true nature of the apostolic call.
1 CORINTHIANS 4:15
15 For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, YET HAVE YE NOT MANY FATHERS: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
Paul was really a spiritual father to those people who he had established in the faith.
Characteristics of an apostle. An apostle is first a preacher or a teacher, or a preacher and a teacher of the Word of God.
1 TIMOTHY 2:7
7 Whereunto I am ordained a PREACHER, and an APOSTLE, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a TEACHER of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
2 TIMOTHY 1:11
11 Whereunto I am appointed a PREACHER, and an APOSTLE, and a TEACHER.
Notice Paul didn't say, "I am first ordained an apostle." No, Paul said he was first ordained a preacher because he was first a preacher and a teacher of the Word of God.
To stand in this office, a person must have a deep personal encounter with the Lord and an ongoing strong relationship with God and His Word, something beyond the ordinary.
The Apostle
1. The apostle has some workings of all five offices, which would include the pastoral equipment of governments. (Weymouth Bible translates the word "governments" as powers of organization.)
2. After churches are established, apostles may exercise oversight over those churches they have established themselves (1 Cor . 9:1,2) until those churches are adequately established with spiritual authority of their own.
Comments: There are many who call themselves apostles who want to dominate and rule people. They say, "I'm an apostle. I have authority. You have to do what I say." In New Testament days the apostles only exercised oversight over the churches they established themselves . Paul never exercised any authority over the church at Jerusalem, nor any of the churches that other apostles had established.
Remember, these offices are in power and not in just a name only. If the power is not there in a person to establish churches, then a person is not an apostle in the full sphere of the office.
3. A missionary who is really called of God and sent by the Holy Ghost is an apostle .
a. Acts 13:2,4.The Holy Spirit said, "...Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them."Then verse 4 says, "So they, being SENT FORTH by the Holy Ghost, departed...."
Barnabas and Saul were "sent ones ." They left on their first missionary journey to the Gentiles.
b. The New Testament never mentions missionaries, yet it is an important office. It is here in the office of an apostle.
c. The missionary will have the ability of all the ministry gifts .
1. They will do the work of the evangelist. They will get people saved.
2. They will do the work of the teacher. They will teach and establish people.
3. They will do the work of the pastor.
They will pastor and shepherd people for a while .
a. In studying closely the life of the Apostle Paul, we note that he said he never built on a foundation someone else had laid. He endeavored to preach the gospel where Christ was not named (Rom . 15:20).
He always stayed in a place from six months to three years.
b. His real calling was not to be a pastor, but he stayed long enough to get believers established in the truth, and then moved on .
What do we look for in an apostle today?
1. First and foremost a preacher or a teacher of the Word .
2. Outstanding spiritual gifts.
3. Deep personal experience.
4. Power and ability to establish churches.
5. Able to provide adequate spiritual leadership.
Acts 13:1 reads, "Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers ; as Barnabas, and Simeon ...and Lucius ...and Manaen ...and Saul. "Each of these men was either a prophet, or a teacher, and or a prophet and a teacher (an apostle can stand in more than one office). We know from studying the bible that Paul was both a prophet and a teacher. Acts 14:14 calls him an apostle. He became an apostle when God set him in that office.
Remember this: Don't just think about names and titles. If you don’t know what God called you to be just prepare yourself in the Word and preach and teach, and then let God eventually set you in the office He has for you.
Barnabas and Paul were not set in the office of apostle to begin with, but God eventually did put them there.
Remember this: God rewards faithfulness. He doesn't reward your office position.
A prophet won't receive any more reward when they get to heaven than a janitor who was faithful in their ministry of helping the church.
Higher offices do not receive any more reward; there is just a greater responsibility for the office. God will always reward your faithfulness!
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