Definition of the church - apostles
| Teachings |
Gifts in the church - apostles
"And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues." 1 Cor 12:28
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone." Eph 2:20
"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Eph 4:11,12
Are there apostles today?
There are always arguments as to whether there are apostles today, but these are largely based on definition of the word "apostle". We can definitely say that the word "apostle" simply means "missionary or one sent out" and there are certainly those in the church today. So many churches use the word "apostle" for convenience, because it's the word the Bible uses. This does not mean that modern "apostles" are on the same level as the "twelve", but that they perform the function of overseeing and looking after all the churches. As it is the first in the list of gifts, we will consider it first.
The church needs those who are trans-locational and plant or look after groups of churches, as Paul did. Independent churches today who have no such oversight can easily go astray. Apostles who travel between churches can also bring strengths of one church to another one. They can see things that may not be obvious from those on the inside. When we float above a street in an air balloon, we learn many things about our area that are never visible on the ground. Managers of companies need to take time to look at other businesses to learn new ideas. Moreover, the experience of the apostle is vital to each local church.
In Rivers of Life churches we have a team of 12 men who form what we call the "presbetery", though in terms of function they might just as well be called apostles. . These men oversee the churches. In the next article we will look at the main practical tasks of apostles.