01/27/2024
THE APOSTLE: THEN AND NOW
How does one become an apostle according to scripture? Are there active apostles today?
So let us be fair. There are two apostolic terms, being held before the church, often they are expressed as being exclusively the same.
In truth one is the biblical authoritative office; the other is somewhat of a modern ministry preaching leadership term.
Let's talk about the first. The biblical apostolic authority had four qualifications that had to be met, and here they are:
1. Had to be a man
2. He had to be a first person eye witness of Jesus after his ressurection.
3. He had to be directly appointed by Jesus christ.( some would argue secondarily be appointed by the assembly of the apostles; I will submit to that clam for this discussion).
4. He had to clearly have the ability to perform the signs and wonders of the office.
Now if you are quickly going to blindly jump in and talk about Paul and say then that he was not a legit apostle.
Well slow down friend, read scripture more carefully especially Acts, and you will see that Paul indeed did fulfill each of the qualifications above, in fact he took each one to a powerful super natural other level.
Oh and just to further lock it down, Paul was approved by the assembly of apostles and church fathers.
Of course Paul made it clear that they were a secondary concern since he had that whole "Jesus on the Road to Damascus " thing and being blinded, etc.
Paul clearly was an apostles, apostle.
I think that the proper term we should use in our modern times instead of apostles is " Church Founders", or "Congregation Systems Founder."
These two latter terms more accurately express the position and activities of what the modern apostles should be.
So under this ranking structure you would have:
A pastor, presiding over a single church congregation.
A bishop, overseeing a connected group of related congregations and their pastors.
A Church Systems Founder, would establish congregational systems in places of void.
He would set up multiple congregation systems, while training, administering and placing bishops and perhaps pastors of multiple congregational systems.
Under this new definition, the modern apostle or rather the " Congregational Systems Founder" would be a profoundly influential, important and powerful person.
Today the apostle is vaguely just another name for a preacher/congregational Leader, as in the role similar to a pastor or bishop.
Though there are a number of men who go by the title apostle, men who actively are fulfilling the powerful functions of " Congregational Systems Founder".
Biblically the apostle was the zenith of congregational leadership. He was the apex authority of the body of Christ.
Apostles were equivalent to five star generals in the military, men who were appointed solely and directly by the president of the United States.
Five star general is not a normal rank progress of the American military, it is part of the commander and chiefs (the president's), military privilege to appoint, men of the absolute highest command authority.
Five men have held the rank of General of the Army (five star), they are:
George C. Marshall,
Douglas MacArthur,
Dwight D. Eisenhower,
Omar Bradley,
Henry H. Arnold, (who later became the only five-star general in the Air Force.)
Are you seeing where I am going? Are you making the correlation to the rank order of the church?
I firmly believe that there can be apostles in our modern times, they simply have to fulfill the four points above.
When a person tells me he is an apostle, I view that person as an overseer of multiple congregations or as preacher.
When someone tells me he is a bishop I assume he is an overseer of multiple congregations.
When a person tells me he is a pastor, I assume he is the overseer of a single congregation.
So family are we more clear on what these modern congregation titles are, and how they align with biblical standards and protocols?
As always
Meditate and discern
Peace to you and God bless
Luv Ya All
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