Apostles?

[lismore]

Hello

The pastor of my relative's church calls himself an Apostle.

What do you think, are there apostles around today?

 

[SoulBap6]

Hello

The pastor of my relative's church calls himself an Apostle.

What do you think, are there apostles around today?

one of an authoritative New Testament group sent out to preach the gospel and made up especially of Christ's 12 original disciples and Paul

Unless this person was sent out personally,by Jesus Christ himself no there is no more Apostles.

 

[SoulBap6]

I agree but the one who sent them was Jesus Christ himself, Missionaries today are sent by the Church. Jesus did the sending in person, not to many today has seen Jesus Christ since Paul, met Jesus on the Road to Damascus.

 

[DeaconDean]

Acts 1:22 gives a definitive answer as to whether there are apostles today:

"Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection."

How many people today can say they have seen the Lord's resurrection in order to be an Apostle?

God Bless

Till all are one.

 

[1watchman]

The Bible clearly shows that the Apostolic Period ended after the church universal was established, and thereafter elders, shepherds (pastors), teachers, evangelists were set forth by God (not men) and always in the plural in an assembly, to serve God and maintain the scriptural testimony by following the Scripture and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

 

[FredVB]

Hello

The pastor of my relative's church calls himself an Apostle.

What do you think, are there apostles around today?

The apostles mentioned in such a church have that as a title that may be recognized in that church. That is not the same as apostles so named in the Bible.

one of an authoritative New Testament group sent out to preach the gospel and made up especially of Christ's 12 original disciples and Paul.

Barnabas was also called an apostle in the Bible.

Acts 1:22 gives a definitive answer as to whether there are apostles today:

"Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection."

How many people today can say they have seen the Lord's resurrection in order to be an Apostle?

That definition also leaves out Paul. Is that what was meant?

 

[DeaconDean]

That definition also leaves out Paul. Is that what was meant?

Did Paul not have a meeting with the resurrected Lord on the Damascus Road?

God Bless

Till all are one.

 

[lismore]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

I read this verse in Revelation, it seems interesting:

Revelation 21:14
The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

 

[lismore]

Did Paul not have a meeting with the resurrected Lord on the Damascus Road?

God Bless

Till all are one.

Indeed.


Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

(1 Cor 15:7+8)

 

[FredVB]

Did Paul not have a meeting with the resurrected Lord on the Damascus Road?

God Bless

Till all are one.

Thanks for explaining that understanding, for showing Paul as an apostle. There are some contesting it, and the meaning could have been such that Paul who was not with Jesus in person among followers and had him appearing bodily to him after the resurrection would not be included as an apostle.

 

[nChrist]

one of an authoritative New Testament group sent out to preach the gospel and made up especially of Christ's 12 original disciples and Paul

Unless this person was sent out personally,by Jesus Christ himself no there is no more Apostles.

Amen - exactly. Apostles were in the presence of Jesus Christ Himself and specifically appointed DIRECTLY by Him. So, this one is a false apostle.

 

[lismore]

Amen - exactly. Apostles were in the presence of Jesus Christ Himself and specifically appointed DIRECTLY by Him. So, this one is a false apostle.

Hello Tom

Those were my initial thoughts.

However there are many people these days in charismatic circles (it's a charismatic church in the OP) who claim to have been up in heaven, met with Jesus. Some have written books about their experiences and one is going to be a movie I heard!

So if they believe these experiences to be real they also believe Jesus sent them out.

God Bless

 

[Adoniram]

I agree with all the above posters that the last living Apostle was John, who went to be with the Lord shortly after penning Revelation. However, your guy would be correct in calling himself a saint. All Christians are saints. The Roman Catholic business of proving that the guy performed a miracle or whatnot before he can be called a saint is a bunch baloney.

 

[SwordoftheLord]

You have the 12 apostles with Mathias taking Judas place. And Paul, but however Barnabas is also called a Apostle in Acts 14:14.

 

[SwordoftheLord]

Amen - exactly. Apostles were in the presence of Jesus Christ Himself and specifically appointed DIRECTLY by Him. So, this one is a false apostle.

Really? Then what do you do with Matthias? He wasn't Directly hand selected by Jesus. And how about Barnabas (Acts 14:14).

 

[DeaconDean]

Before we all get in a huff, I think it is better to define.

Are we speaking of "Apostle" (big "a") or "apostle"?

To be sure, we all nearly agree that there are no new Apostles today.

However, in a very real sense, are we (born-again) Christians, are we not "apostles" too?

The term apostle is derived from Classical Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos), meaning "one who is sent away", from στέλλω ("stello", "send") + από (apo, "away from"). The literal meaning in English is therefore an "emissary", from the Latin mitto ("send") and ex ("from").

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostle_(Christian)

Are we not sent out to witness and preach the gospel to a lost and dying world?

Are we not "emissaries" or "ambassadors" for Christ in our everyday life?

There have been no Apostles since the end of the first century, however, there have been and will continue to be apostles made until Christ returns.

God Bless

Till all are one.

 

[FredVB]

You have the 12 apostles with Mathias taking Judas place. And Paul, but however Barnabas is also called a Apostle in Acts 14:14.

I had made the same point in this thread. There were 12 apostles that were with Jesus from the time of John according to the definition used earlier, that including Matthias, and Paul and Barnabas were also sent as apostles, for the gospel to be spread widely to the Gentiles.

Really? Then what do you do with Matthias? He wasn't Directly hand selected by Jesus. And how about Barnabas (Acts 14:14).

As you said just before this Matthias was the qualified man chosen, counted among the twelve, it would not be Judas Iscariot; see Proverbs 16:33. And Barnabas was named as apostle along with Paul, as was being said. So there were the twelve apostles together, and the two others named.

 

[Albion]

Hello

The pastor of my relative's church calls himself an Apostle.

What do you think, are there apostles around today?

We seem to be living in a time when the restraints are totally off as far as ministers (usually of independent ministries or congregations) calling themselves by as imposing and prideful religious titles they can think of. Recently I've heard of not only Apostles, but Patriarchs, and Master Prophets (how does that work?), and I'm expecting a Pope or two to appear on some TV ministry one of these days. Also, and to be fair to the TV types, it's occurring in some well-established and generally conservative denominations, too.

 

[Hermeneutico]

one of an authoritative New Testament group sent out to preach the gospel and made up especially of Christ's 12 original disciples and Paul

Unless this person was sent out personally,by Jesus Christ himself no there is no more Apostles.

Where does Scripture give that criteria?

 

[Hermeneutico]

Acts 1:22 gives a definitive answer as to whether there are apostles today:

"Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection."

How many people today can say they have seen the Lord's resurrection in order to be an Apostle?

God Bless

Till all are one.

This disqualifies Apostle Paul. He was not with them "beginning from the baptism of John, etc...."

This verse does not even apply to anyone but the twelve - period. Yet, we know that AFTER Jesus ascended He gave the gift of Apostle to the church - Ephesians 4!