PART 6 APOSTLES - ARE THEY STILL AMONG US?A Chapter by rondoWhy some believe that the office of apostle is no more and others believe that it is still in operation?CHAPTER 7 Scriptural Reasons Why Some Churches Believe That the Office Gift of Apostle Is No More. Why Some Believe That Certain in the Church Are Still Called by God to This Office. Information is going to be presented in a table format. I do this for all of my studies that involve the reader making up their own mind about a doctrinal topic. If you have little or no knowledge about this topic then you will be able to formulate your own opinion as to whether the office gift of apostle is still operational today. If you have heard about this topic from the teachings of the leadership at your church but feel as though you need more clarity then hopefully what follows will provide this. Some might argue that this approach might cause someone in their church to change their opinion about this topic contrary to the teachings of the church they are attending, and as such they will now be believing in false doctrine. All I can say is, I think it’s healthy to be able to have an honest discussion about any biblical topic from opposing views. We might just learn something. I think that sometimes believers are so insolated because they have heard the same view on a topic be taught over and over again that they don’t study it for themselves. In the early years of my walk with God I attended Bible college for two years graduating with a two year degree in Christian Leadership (Magna Cum Laude). Many of the biblical topics that I learned there I have since had a change of mind about. Some of these biblical topics are on eternal security, tithing, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, women in positions of leadership, drinking alcohol, etc.). The two main topics that have been the foundation of my life and ministry are the preaching of the gospel to unbelievers and personal sanctification (being filled with the Spirit) for believers; otherwise known as the indwelling and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. There will probably always be disagreements between the churches on most biblical topics until we go home to be with the Lord. This doesn’t mean to say that a church shouldn’t have a doctrinal platform. However, I don’t believe that every member should have to believe in every biblical perspective on every topic that is presented. It is probably fair to say that most members of any church don’t believe in every biblical perspective on every topic that is presented by the church they are attending. Would you agree with this statement? This topic which attempts to answer the question, are there apostles in the church today was a topic of conversation in the church I was involved with in my earlier years in the ministry? They believed that the relevant offices are pastor and evangelist. While they were emphatic that the offices of apostle and prophet had ceased I never really understood why this was the case. I think for some churches their belief on a biblical topic is taken from a couple of verses and that’s it. The assembly is told to believe what is being taught or else. The, or else, can mean many things. It could mean that this believer, who has a different perspective on a certain biblical topic will never be promoted to a position of leadership. It could also mean that the other members of the assembly will be warned about this person insinuating that they might try to cause some in the church to leave. I can understand these concerns. As for myself I have a few absolutes concerning what I believe in. The first is that the pure gospel involves the unbeliever repenting of their sins and believing in Jesus Christ, who as God, came to earth in the form of a man being born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross paying the debt owed to the justice of God, forgave sin, was resurrected after three days, witnessed to others while on earth after his resurrection for 40 days, and ascended into heaven. Whoever repents and believes will receive another member of the trinity into their life called the Holy Spirit, who will guide and lead them into all truth. The second is that the offices of the church are apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors. Third is the need for there to be teachings on personal sanctification. Another word, teachings which are about knowing who I am in Christ along with learning how to address my human strengths and weaknesses. The goal of each believer should be to become conformed to the image of God’s Son the realization of which occurs when we learn how to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Where there seems to be differences of opinion are on biblical topics such as: Can a believer lose their salvation; Should a believer abstain from drinking alcohol; Is tithing still for today; Is a believer obligated to obey the Ten Commandments; etc.? This is where disagreement and contention usually takes place. I wonder how many believers after having gone to bible school, and in some cases having become ordained to the pastorate, after a period of years where they have had time to study on some of the biblical topics on their own have changed their views about some of them? I believe that this is just the way that it is. My hope is that at the end of the day the core beliefs of the faith are adhered to. With all that said I hope that you will enjoy this alternative approach in answering the question, are there apostles in the church today? What this approach is essentially trying to conclude is one of two things. First, is that if there were believers who were called and appointed to the office of apostle other than the original 12, Matthias, and Paul, then what could be concluded is that the office of apostle has not ceased. Second, if it can be proved that there were no new apostles other than the original 12, Matthias, and Paul, then what could be concluded is that the office of apostle has ceased. In some of the scripture sections which we will look at there will be other considerations to look at such as: Does the word apostle always refer to the office?; Was the apostle Peter considered the chief apostle?; etc. The answers to these kinds of questions will also help to determine whether there were new apostles other than the original 12, Matthias, or Paul. Is Peter the Rock upon whom Christ would build His church? That Thou Art Peter, and upon This Rock I Will Build My Church Suggested Reading: Matthew 16:13-20 Jesus asked his disciples, who do men say that I am? There were different responses to this question. Some said John the Baptist, while others said Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Then Jesus said who do you say that I am? None of the disciples answered, but one, Peter. He said thou art the Christ, the Christos, which is equivalent to the Hebrew masiah, which means “the anointed One”. Jesus knowing that Peter received this by divine revelation said to him, thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. What did Jesus mean, when he said to Peter, upon this rock I will build my church? The interpretation of this has resulted in three camps or three views. The first view says that the word "rock" refers to Peter's confession of Jesus being the Messiah, and that what Jesus meant to say was, upon this rock, this truth that thou hast confessed, that I am the Messiah and upon confession of this from all believers, I will build my church38. The second view says the words “this rock” refer to Jesus. Christ is called a rock inIsaiah 28:16; 1 Peter 2:8. And it has been thought that he turned from Peter to himself, and said, "Upon this rock, this truth that I am the Messiah-upon myself as the Messiah, I will build my church." 39 The third view says that the word "rock" refers to Peter himself40. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. My simple thought on this is that in the next verse Jesus tells Peter that he will give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven. It appears to me that this was a continuance of the thoughts that Jesus said to Peter in the previous verse, that upon him he would build his church. With that said, was Jesus saying to Peter that he was given supreme authority above all of the other apostles?
Does the word “apostle” always refer to a leadership position? Which When the Apostles, Barnabas And Paul Suggested Reading: Acts 14:6-20 While Paul and Barnabas were at Lystra, there was a man that was born crippled, who God healed by the intermediary of the apostle Paul. The priest of a nearby temple, who worshipped the god Jupiter Custos, thought that Jupiter had visited the city in a human form; and Barnabas, he imagined was this person; and as Mercury, the god of eloquence, who was the general attendant of Jupiter, the people and the priest supposed that Paul, who had a powerful commanding eloquence, was that god, also disguised41. Therefore, the priest decided to offer animal sacrifices before the people in honor to Paul and Barnabas, who they thought of as deity. When the apostles Paul and Barnabas heard of this they intervened immediately and tried to persuade the people to turn from these sacrifices unto the one true God. However, there were present within the crowd certain Jews that came from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded them not to follow Paul and Barnabas directive. As a result Paul was apprehended and then stoned by them appearing to be dead. However, when the disciples came and gathered around him, he rose up, and they went on their way. Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, (Acts 14:14) What does it mean when the scripture says, “the apostles, Barnabas and Paul”?
Was James, the Lord’s brother, an apostle? Save James The Lord's Brother Suggested Reading: Galatians 1:15-19 The apostle Paul was talking about how God had devoted him to a special purpose from before his birth, commissioning him of His own initiative and not on the basis of any merit found in him. He revealed the Lord Jesus to him so that he might by repenting and believing in his Son preach him among those who didn’t worship him, i.e. the pagans, Gentiles. After his conversion, Paul didn’t go immediately to Jerusalem to seek advice from the apostles, but went to Arabia instead where he remained for three years. Following this he went up to Jerusalem to form an acquaintance with the apostle Peter, with whom he spent 15 days. Then Paul makes this statement; that he didn’t see any of the other apostles, except James, the Lord’s brother. 19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.
Well, that was an eye opener wasn’t it? As you can see this one verse as to whether James, the Lord’s brother was an apostle has generated quite a bit of response, both pro and con. This is good, because what it hopefully shows is that someone who has concurred as to whether there are apostles or not in the church today would have to have been engaged in an appropriate amount of study in order to come to some sort of conclusion concerning this, at least that’s what I would hope. This is the way it should be. Prayer to God, while being filled with the Spirit, asking for guidance and direction followed by personal study are a good combination. Could a woman be called and ordained to the office of apostle? Andronicus And Junia…Who Are Of Note Among The Apostles Romans 16:7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Near the end of his letter to the saints at Rome Paul reminded them to commend Andronicus and Junia, who he called his fellow Jews and fellow prisoners (those who had been imprisoned for their faith). He goes on and says that they were “of note among the apostles”. What does this mean?
As mentioned above if Junia is a female and is also an apostle wouldn’t this upset the apple cart? This begs the question, were there female pastors, female prophets, and female evangelists? If there were, then we could assume that there were female apostles, couldn’t we? This would make for an interesting study, which I will hope to address at some other time. Was Barnabas an apostle? Or I Only And Barnabas Suggested Reading; 1 Corinthians 9:1-27 Paul is addressing some in the Corinthian church who are questioning his calling to the office of apostleship. He does this by presenting four questions. 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? 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. Am I not an apostle? Another word am I not one who is sent under commission? Am I not free? Free from the obligation to work for my living50. Another word, if I am an apostle, then shouldn’t I be supported financially from you to whom I have ministered? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? It was probably to this question that they would say to him, no, you haven’t. His reply would be, yes I have in a vision, when I was on the road to Damascus for the purpose of inquiring among the synagogues of the Jews at Damascus, that if there were any there that belonged to the sect of Christ they would be brought back as criminals to Jerusalem to be tried before the Jewish court called the Sanhedrin. Are not ye my work in the Lord? Have not you been converted from sin, and turned to holiness51 as evidence that God has sent me? 4 Have we not power to eat and to drink? Paul further states that as an apostle shouldn’t his food provisions be taken care of by the churches? 5 Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? Along with this he also mentions that there should be church provided financial support, if it was indeed the case that he or any of the apostles were to be accompanied by a believing wife, which it appeared to be the case for some of the other apostles. 6 Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working? Lastly, he adds one more thought to this idea of financial support by the churches. He mentions that along with himself, a fellow co-laborer named Barnabas, who had accompanied him on the first missionary journey, had to rely on having to earn his own money from working (manual labor). By mentioning Barnabas as a co-worker, was Paul in fact stating that he too was an apostle?
Before we go on to the next chapter I would like to leave you with a personal story. In the early 80’s I exuberantly went to Bible college for two years while having a family and working a full time job. After graduation, an opening for me to work in a Christian day school, which was located in a different state, was offered to me. I accepted, and on we went. Over a period of time the head pastor of this branch ministry decided to resign. One of the church members was offered this position, to which he accepted. One day he asked me if I would like to oversee a bible study during the week at a fellow believer’s house, to which I eagerly said yes. During the meantime the Christian day school was having financial difficulty. An agreement was made by the new pastor to relocate the school to a building that was owned by a different church, the pastor of which who would now be in charge of all of the goings on. And by the way the pastor of this church used to be a member of the church that I was currently affiliated with. However, he decided to leave and start his own church. When I would travel to work to the new site of the Christian day school I would intermittently come in contact with the pastor, who was overseeing the day school. and we would engage in conversation. Eventually he invited me to come hear him teach as long as it didn’t conflict with the services of the church that I was currently attending. I told him that I would think about it. There came a time when I had a free night and along with my wife we decided to attend. All I can say is that the teachings were quite different from the teachings of my church. This prompted myself and my wife to attend at various other times when we could. One of the things I began to notice was not only were the perspectives different in regard to the teaching on a biblical topic, but what the reason was as to the “why” it was different? Without getting into this reason at this time, what happened next was that I was asked by the hosts of the bible study to present a teaching on a certain biblical topic. Since I knew that both churches held different views on this topic I decided to teach it from both perspectives. When I arrived at the bible study to my surprise the new pastor of the church that I was a member of was there. After prayer, I proceeded to deliver the message. I started out by stating what the title of the message was and then explaining that I would be presenting it according to opposing views. However, I did clarify that by presenting the message in this format I was not indicating that I was changing the view on this topic that my church espoused. At the end of the message an offering was taken followed by prayer. A brief discussion ensued with no apparent expression of dissatisfaction by anyone. When the study ended I went home thinking that all seemed to have gone well. On the following day I went to work at the day school. When I arrived home my wife told me that the pastor of my church requested to talk to me. I immediately went over to his house. He conveyed to me that he was troubled by the way the message was presented. After much thought he said that he couldn’t allow me to continue to teach bible study. In his mind I was no longer in agreement with his church on this particular biblical topic. He also mentioned that I needed to consider moving out from the church housing that my family was provided. Another word what he was really saying was, was that I needed to find another church to go to. What I realized was, was that you could be on staff working for any church and if for some reason you held to a view on any biblical topic that was contrary to the churches teaching, then you could be asked to leave. If your livelihood and housing was provided by said church, then you were out of not only a place to worship, but also a job and a place to live. Eventually I secured a job working for a public school in the same state and fortunately was able to find housing nearby. This has been a life lesson learned. If a situation ever came up again where I was a member of some church and I was asked to go on staff there would need to be a meeting of the minds concerning any teaching of the church that I had a different opinion on in terms of what this would mean concerning our fellowship. This discussion would center on the question of how could we still work together considering there are doctrinal differences? Endnotes 38Barnes. 39Barnes. 40Barnes. 41Adam Clarke. 42Jamieson, Faucet, and Brown Commentary Pc Study Bible version 5, 2005, 20 Dec. 2014 ˂http://www.biblesoft.com>. 43Robertson’s New Testament Word Pictures Pc Study Bible version 5, 2005, 22 Dec. 2014 ˂http://www.biblesoft.com>. 44Barnes. 45Jamieson, Faucet, and Brown. 46The Pulpit. 47“Apostolic Constitutions”, 24 Dec. 2014 ˂http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_Constitutions> 48Barnes. 49UBS. 50UBS. 51Barnes. 52UBS. Weekly Messages: http://bit.ly/1N9SHdX Website: http://www.makingtheonerightchoice.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesrondinone/media Facebook Author Page: http://on.fb.me/1Q0MJ3w Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/james.rondinone
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Added on December 21, 2017 Last Updated on December 21, 2017 AuthorrondoBLOCK ISLAND, RIAboutMy name is James Rondinone. I am a husband, father, and spiritual leader. I grew up in Massachusetts and began my own spiritual journey early on in life. I attended bible college having completed a.. more..Writing
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