Are there still Apostles today?

[Guojing]

Was Paul speaking of the 13 plus himself to the church at Ephesus?

At least include the scripture reference if you want an answer.

 

[Always in His Presence]

At least include the scripture reference if you want an answer.

I've already quoted it twice.

 

[Guojing]

I've already quoted it twice.

You are talking to a new person.

 

[Always in His Presence]

You are talking to a new person.

The quotes are still there.

 

[Guojing]

The quotes are still there.

If you really want my answer, you would mention them again.

If not, we can move on.

 

[Always in His Presence]

If you really want my answer, you would mention them again.

If not, we can move on.

Have a great night -

 

[lismore]

Looking at the Apostles in the bible. 1) They were able to heal, almost at will. 2) What they said and wrote was considered to be the very inspired word of God. 3) They were witnesses of the risen Christ.

There are many healing evangelists these days, many struggle to document a miraculous healing when pressed. So no 1, healing at will, fail. I would say failed. Number 2, nothing inspired has been added to the bible in 1,900 years. The Canon of Scripture is closed. An Apostle would be able to add to it. so number 2, fail. As for number 3, I don't know. About 1,000 persons have sold various accounts of going up to heaven and meeting Jesus, these accounts often seem to disagree on key details.

God Bless All

 

[Hawkins]

Apostle is just a ranking applicable to those who have a direct contact with Jesus and God, either when Jesus is on earth or not. Unlike other disciples, Paul's direct contact with Jesus is supernatural in nature. For this reason, Paul is a prophet in nature but ranked an apostle. By the same token, the "two prophets" mentioned in the book of Revelation will be called supernaturally as Paul was. They are prophets in nature but can well be ranked as apostles. The ranking/title is actually less important than the nature of how God's witnesses are called, as ranking is rather something between God and His chosen witnesses.

 

[Always in His Presence]

Looking at the Apostles in the bible.

Yes please - not just the twelve

1) They were able to heal, almost at will.

God healed the sick through them - according to God's will. Not something they could turn on or off.

2) What they said and wrote was considered to be the very inspired word of God.

The Word of God is still just as inspired. The writing has ended but the Word is still just as inspired, just as anointed and just as powerful.

3) They were witnesses of the risen Christ.

Not Barnabus - Not Paul - not several others

Paul told the church in Ephesus and Corinth that Apostles, Prophets, Pastors are gifts to the church. (Evangelist and Teachers in Ephesians). How long will we have them in the body?

Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.​

​

Are we all in unity? Do we still get tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine?

IMHO if you take a look at this forum, it will answer that question.

 

[lismore]

Yes please - not just the twelve

God healed the sick through them - according to God's will. Not something they could turn on or off.

Hello Always! Good to hear from you. I hope you're doing well today.

For example all those on whom Peter's shadow fell were healed:

Acts 5:14-16 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.

I don't think there's anything like this today?

The Word of God is still just as inspired. The writing has ended but the Word is still just as inspired, just as anointed and just as powerful.

Yes the Word Of God the Bible is still inspired. The writing is ended as you say, but that's because there are no more apostles to write scripture? The Canon closed when the Apostle John died, because he was the last. What an apostle wrote was considered to be part of the Bible, the inspired word of God, just as if God himself was speaking.

As Peter said about Paul's writings:

There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures (2 Peter 3:16).

In the bible the words of a real Prophet or Apostle were considered to be infallible, the very words of God. It's a high standard.

13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting

Could that be talking of the closed Canon, which we now have?

God Bless You

 

[Always in His Presence]

Hello Always! Good to hear from you. I hope you're doing well today.

Thank you - I hope you are doing well also. I do appreciate speaking with you and you have my respect.

For example all those on whom Peter's shadow fell were healed:

Acts 5:14-16 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.

That's true- but it is also the ONLY instance of this type of mass healing reported. None of the others are mentioned ministering healing on such a mass footing - I don't generally take a one time instance and make it a blanket statement. That is just how I was taught.

I don't think there's anything like this today?

Not that I am aware of. Nor did it ever happen again that I know of.

Yes the Word Of God the Bible is still inspired. The writing is ended as you say, but that's because there are no more apostles to write scripture? The Canon closed when the Apostle John died, because he was the last.

He was the last of the 12 Apostles of the Lamb - and we agree that the canon was closed.

What an apostle wrote was considered to be part of the Bible, the inspired word of God, just as if God himself was speaking.

We believe that the Word of God is Holy Spirit Breathed - but you do realize that Luke and Mark were not Apostles, yet God used them to write the Gospels and the Book of Acts.

As Peter said about Paul's writings:

There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures (2 Peter 3:16).

In the bible the words of a real Prophet or Apostle were considered to be infallible, the very words of God. It's a high standard.

Where does Scripture state that?

Could that be talking of the closed Canon, which we now have?

No -

13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God - have we done this?

, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; - are we a perfect man to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ?

14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine - Have we stopped being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine? Look to CF as a micrcasm and how many doctrines there are just here.


by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting - has this ended.


God Bless You also my friend.