The meaning of the word “apostle” today seems to be a puzzle to many believers. It is often associated with somebody who has “gone off the deep end”. Leading theologians have advanced various personal convictions related to apostleship that have left many believers stifled and confused. The typical reaction by many? Often, to ignore the problem. Our hope is that we may not ignore it, but to consider it from the biblical pattern and experience of the church in its beginning years. At the risk of being over-simplified, following are a few of many questions we might ask, and some brief answers.

1. What does “apostle” mean? The Greek word for “sent one” is “apostle”. The Latin word for “sent one” is “missionary”. The two words mean the same thing, biblically.

2. Who was the first apostle? Hebrews 3:1-7 says “…consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus…” This verse is in the context of building a house “…whose house are we…” . John 3:16 says God so loved that He gave the Son… As a sacrifice for lost humanity, Jesus was sent into the world. He was God’s Sent One, our first Apostle.

3. Who were the apostles? “The twelve apostles” spoken of in the four gospels included Judas Iscariot, as first mentioned in Matthew 10:2. After the betrayal of Jesus and his suicide, there were only eleven. Using the old testament method of casting lots, Peter led others in Acts 1:26 in selecting Matthias as the replacement for Judas Iscariot. Matthias restored the uniqueness of these twelve. The next chapter, Acts 2:14 shows “Peter, standing up with the eleven…”. This affirms Matthias was the accepted replacement for Judas and that the twelve were complete. These twelve apostles are unique and form a foundation for the entire New Testament truth and experience related to the church. In the last revelation in the Bible, John in Rev. 21:14 sees the holy city, the New Jerusalem come down to the new earth having “…twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”

4. Paul was an apostle, what about him? Not only Paul, but many others were apostles. In Acts 13:1-4 there were five brothers in the church in Antioch fasting and praying. The first one mentioned was Barnabas, the last one was Saul. From among these five, all functioning already as prophets and teachers, the Holy Spirit spoke and said for them to separate Barnabas and Saul “for the work whereunto I have called them.” The Spirit’s speaking to the others about Saul confirmed what Saul had heard initially in the appearing of Jesus to him in Acts 9:5, and with added detail in Acts 26:14-18. Barnabas had already been sent out from Jerusalem by the brothers there, but no detail was given and his calling as an apostle was not affirmed until he was among these believers in the church at Antioch. Barnabas and Saul were later sent by Antioch to Jerusalem for further fellowship.
Other apostles are mentioned in various places. Acts 14:14 refers to “…the apostles, Barnabas and Saul…”. In Romans 16:7, Paul greets “Andronicus and Junia…who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.” In Revelation 2:2, the Son of Man spoke to John, the last living one of the unique twelve apostles, noting that the Ephesians had exposed false apostles. If there were no genuine apostles still among the churches, there would have been no false ones to expose. As an original apostle, John would have been very clear on this. Hence, there would have been no need to test others to see if they were real or false apostles. It is this same kind of scrutiny under which the apostle Paul rightly defended his calling in I Corinthians 9, with the fruit of his ministry being his ultimate affirmation.

5. What does an apostle do? Apostles typically traveled and served the churches in many places. If there was not a church, their preaching was so empowered that new believers were strongly converted and immediately drawn together to meet in and around the name of Jesus. After the saints matured, some who were relatively more mature were appointed as elders by the apostles on a later visit to them.
Through the function of the apostles, the believers in Christ were clearly affirmed to be members of His body. For example, though Philip’s evangelism was powerful and produced many genuine believers who were quickly baptized, it was not until Peter was sent out from Jerusalem to Samaria to lay hands on the new believers that these were properly confirmed and identified with the body of Christ. A similar situation occurred when many were saved through the preaching of Apollos. The identification with the body of Christ was confirmed outwardly when the apostle Paul came and laid hands on them.

6. Why does Peter speak of himself in I Peter 5 as an elder if he was an apostle? The same brother may have more than one function. As to Peter, in the church at Jerusalem he functioned as an elder. As to the work of the ministry he was an apostle, a sent one to both the Jews (Acts 2) and to the Gentiles (Acts 10).

7. Are there still apostles today? Modern Christendom speaks freely of “missionaries”, but often disparagingly of “apostles”. Many theologians declare apostles no longer exist, even while promoting missions. This change in modern understanding has devastated the original definition, existence, and biblical way to practice this crucial office among the churches.
This is due, in part, to wrongly concluding there were only twelve apostles given to the church. On our part, we should realize God has not changed, His revelation does not shrink back, and His moving forward is always more, not less. We should realize, however, that for the Spirit to progress in building His church and accomplish His intention, His people need to be in a readiness of mind to respond to Him. The answer to the question above may have at least as much to do with our hearts as it does with the heart and mind of God.
The traditions of 2000 years have clouded the freshness of God’s intimacy today, not unlike the Jews were clouded by their traditional understandings of what God had given to them about 1500 years before. Whether we use the Greek “apostle” or the Latin “missionary”, it is crucial we go forward by going back, back to the biblical basis for this precious and vital function in the Lord’s body. May we humble ourselves before the Lord, seeking that He enable us to read His Word as He gave it to us, not through natural eyes, clouded by centuries of accumulating, deviated traditions.

8. How does a brother become an apostle? In the precedent seen in Acts 13:1-4, the Holy Spirit calls one who is already a prophet or teacher to be sent out for the work of the ministry to preach the gospel and to build up the churches in his traveling pattern. This calling-out follows a previous inward calling by the Lord of that brother. His separation unto the work is affirmed through other ministering brothers by the speaking of the Holy Spirit to all of them. He is sent out for ministry, not of his own independence, but commissioned as a member of the Lord’s body to feed and build it up under the direct headship of Christ as the speaking Spirit within him, to and for the churches, and in fellowship with them and other apostles. He is not a volunteer, he is a sent one already tested in the faith and ministry, particularly exemplified by his endurance in the faith and in the kingdom of God.

By Richard A. Nelson, written at the request of the elders at LBC 9 Sept 04