THE MINISTRY OF THE APOSTLE

                          Part I

        Let me tell you a true story I recently read. It's about a
Chinese minister whom the Western writer described as an
"evangelist."
        The nameless minister, whom we will call Reverend Wu,
traveled by foot and on bicycle over a large region of China. As
he traveled he gained converts to Christianity wherever he went
through his preaching and teaching. After establishing a church,
he would set a pastor and elders over the small flock, and then
would move on to other, unreached areas to preach. As a result,
he had established dozens of home churches.
        On one occasion Rev. Wu returned to a region where he had
not been for over a year to see how the churches were doing. When
he arrived, to his dismay, he found the pastors quarreling and
bickering among themselves. With one voice they began angrily
explaining their differences, each looking to Rev. Wu for
support.
        Instead of hearing the arguments and trying to sort out who
was right and who was wrong, Rev. Wu sat down and began to weep.
His weeping deepened to the point that his very spirit was
grieving before God. After a long period of unabated crying he
began aloud to ask God's forgiveness for his own failure. He
sobbed that he had failed to properly teach these pastors about
Jesus' spirit of humility and of His teaching that "the first
shall be last," and "the greatest among you will be your
servant."
        Then something happened. One by one the pastors also began
to weep, crying out to God and asking His forgiveness. Soon, all
present were prostrate on the floor in deep repentance. Then they
began to go to one another asking forgiveness, even to the point
of washing one another's feet.
        Looking at Reverend Wu's ministry in light of Scripture, it
is clear that he is an apostle. He traveled from place to place
preaching, evangelizing and establishing churches wherever he
went. Yet the Western writer of this story described him as an
evangelist. Why?

Are There Apostles Today?
        I believe the reason the story writer didn't understand that
Wu is an apostle is because most people in today's church believe
there are no apostles today. In fact most believe that only three
of the original offices found in Ephesians still function today:
pastors, teachers and evangelists. Somehow prophets and apostles
have gotten lost along the way.
        Concerning apostles, the reasoning goes something like this.
"But brother Murphy, apostles were only in the first century
church. There were only twelve of them. After those original
twelve established the church and died, there were no more after
them. Nor was there a need since the church had been well
established."
        I understand that this is the common understanding today,
but does that understanding agree with the Scripture? Let's look
and see. The Scripture says,

                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 to do
        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 4:11-13 NIV, emphasis added.)

        I have emphasized the word "until" in the Scripture above to
make a point. Paul's use of "until" imposes the span of time
these five ministries are to exist--until we 1) all reach unity
in the faith, 2) and in the knowledge of the Son of God, 3) and
become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of
Christ. Even a cursory observation of today's church makes it
clear that none of these three conditions have yet been attained.

The Apostle Defined
        I believe what I am saying will make more sense if we
closely examine the Scripture and some related comments from
theologians and other writers.
        Let us begin by examining the original text word for the
word "apostle." The word used in the Greek text is apostello.
Apostello is a verb and refers to the act of sending. The word
apostolos is a noun and refers to the one sent. The use of
apostolos as a ministry is strictly New Testament. In fact, it
was Jesus who first used apostolos as a title for His disciples.
Prior to that the use of the word in secular Greek was narrowly
limited to describe ships, or messengers that were "sent forth."
        Since Jesus took the word apostolos and began to use it in a
specialized, religious application, we need to make a detailed
examination of apostolos. Theologian J. C. Lambert1 teaches, "To
understand the word as we find it in the NT it is not necessary
to go beyond the NT itself." I agree and will confine our
examination to Scripture and comments that theologians have made
about the use of apostolos as found in Scripture.

Narrow and Wider Uses of the Greek Word Apostolos
        With any word that evolves in a language, various shades of
meaning are attached to the use of the word over time. Apostolos
is no exception. In the early days during Jesus' ministry,
apostolos clearly meant the Twelve. But Lambert also said, ". . .
the Gospel employs the term [apostle] in that wider sense which
it came to have after the Ascension." Hence, the narrower use of
the word apostolos means the Twelve while its broader use
encompasses all others whom the Lord called as apostles as we
will see in the Book of Acts, and in other New Testament books.
        For those who may tend to reject the wider use of apostolos,
claiming it applies only to the Twelve, Lambert further states,
"The very fact that the name 'apostle' means what it does would
point to the impossibility of confining it within the limits of
the Twelve." He goes on to say, ". . . the very fact that he
[Paul] found it necessary to denounce certain persons as 'false
apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles
of Christ' (2 Cor 11:13) shows that there was no thought in the
primitive church of restricting the apostleship to a body of 12
or 13 men. 'Had the number been definitely restricted, the claims
of these interlopers would have been self-condemned' (Lightfoot,
Galatians, 97)." [Note: Lambert quoted Lightfoot.]
        A further, final definition of apostolos with its narrow and
broad application is given by Alan F. Johnson in the NIV Bible
Commentary2:
        "An 'apostle' is one who is sent as a representative of
another and bears the full authority of the sender. The word is
applied first in the NT to the original circle of the Twelve, who
had a special place historically in the foundation of the church
(Eph 2:20; Rev 21:14). But the NT further broadens this original
circle to include others such as Paul (Gal 1:1), Barnabas (Ac
14:14), James the brother of Jesus (Gal 1:19,) and still others
(cf. Rom 16:7). The name was applied to those who were
authentically and specially called by Christ to be his
authoritative spokesmen."

The Call of the Apostle
        As with any call to the ministry, the initiative is the
Lord's. No minister simply decides he wants to be an apostle, (or
a prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher, for that matter). He
must be called to that office by the Lord Jesus.
        The most extraordinary thing about Jesus' call to His
original apostles is that they were common, ordinary men. There
was nothing that marked any of them as special. They came from
various walks of life, some were fishermen, one a tax collector,
there was even a disgruntled political reformer!
        Notice that Jesus gave no explanation, no sales pitch, no
promises or elaboration with his call. He simply said, "Follow
me." That isn't very dramatic or compelling, is it? But, to the 
one whom He calls, it has a powerful impact!
        Look at the call of Matthew (Levi). ". . . Jesus went out
and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax
booth. 'Follow me,' Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left
everything and followed him." (Lk 5:27,28 NIV) It is obvious that
Levi was wealthy. It took something very powerful to pull Levi
from his lucrative income and comfortable life-style. The call to
serve Christ is always powerful. Levi responded as a called
apostle, he "left everything and followed him."

Attributes of An Apostle
        As with any of the five-fold ministries, there are certain
identifiable attributes. Not all apostles will possess all of
these attributes. But most of the attributes will be found in any
apostle. Let's look at them.

a.      Forceful Personality
        By "forceful personality" I don't mean rudeness or
pushiness. I define forcefulness of personality as the consistent
assertiveness of one's own person, ideas and presence. A person
with a forceful personality cannot be ignored. We can easily see
these attributes in both Peter and Paul.
        Peter's force of personality was demonstrated by such events
as his standing before the Sanhedrin, (Acts 4) his bold preaching
on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), and his standing against the
other apostles concerning his entering the house of the Gentile,
Cornelius (Acts 11). Paul's force of personality is equally
visible in his indignant demand that a sexually immoral man in
the church be dealt with (See 1 Cor 5.), in defense of his
apostolic ministry (2 Cor 10), and numerous other places in
Scripture as well. Indeed, Paul's forcefulness comes through in
all his writings.

b.      Great Authority
        In his examination of the word apostolos, K. H. Rengstorf3
says, ". . . the apostle is properly an apostle of Jesus Christ .
. . Apostles, then, are not officials of the church but officers
of Christ for its upbuilding . . ."
        Since the apostle is not technically an officer of the
church, he is not subject to the control of the church. This
gives the apostle tremendous authority. This authority is further
explained by Rengstorf.
        "The apostles have special significance as leaders who enjoy
the full accreditation of the Lord with a universal commission to
what is to be a universal community. The Lord is still behind
what they say and do. He himself is the subject of their message.
In this new commissioning, however, this is an ongoing message to
the world. . . .
        "The messengers' authorization is subsidiary to that of
Jesus. By the same token, however, it is he who sustains them in
their office; hence the importance of the parakletos whom he
sends.
        ". . . the disciples are authorized to use the power of
Jesus . . . the identification of the sender and sent presupposes
authorization (the one sent is as the one who sends, and what is
done to the former is done to the latter). . . their
authorization is linked with the person of Jesus. . . [they] have
full power to speak and act as Jesus does, this does not confer
rights but implies the duty of service. . . commissioning by
Jesus means humiliation rather than exaltation. Service and
humility purge the apostolate of the claims which might accompany
its legal authorization. They make it a commission rather than an
office. . . .
        "Significant, too, is the linking of the apostles with the
proclaiming of the word. . . Full and obedient dedication to the
task is demanded. Action accompanies speech in demonstration of
authentic commissioning. The works are not a subject of boasting
or evaluation but of a joy that expresses a complete ignoring of
the person and absorption in the task. The success of the
apostles is the success of Jesus himself, and in [their] report
it crowds out any reference to difficulties in the discharge of
the task. . . .
        "The new commission is also of a more lasting character,
applying to the whole period between the ascension and return..."
        Thus, as we have seen, the apostle is an officer of Christ
whose primary responsibility is to found churches. The authority
necessary to do this work is also inherent in the ministry.
Jesus' authority is extended through the apostle. We can see the
stated purpose of this authority in Paul's writing: "the
authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing
you down." (2 Cor 13:10 NIV, emphasis added.)
        Let's look at an example of Paul's authority in action:

                I already gave you a warning when I was with you
        the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my
        return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any
        of the others, since you are demanding proof that
        Christ is speaking through me. (2 Cor 12:2,3 NIV)

        Note however that this authority has limits. Paul told one
of the churches he founded, the Corinthian church, "Even though I
may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! . . ." (1
Cor 9:2 NIV) By this we see that apostolic authority extends only
over those whom an apostle has birthed and formed into churches.
By implication Paul is hereby relinquishing authority over other
churches with whom he had no part in founding.

c.      Leadership Skills
        Leadership is the ability to inspire others to action.
Leadership radiates confidence, ability, control, and vision.
Those with leadership have the ability to attract, and inspire
others, and to motivate mass human effort toward a common goal. A
leader also has the ability to read people, determine their
strengths and weaknesses, and then place them in the exact
organizational position to best use those strengths.
        Leadership skills are essential for Christ's apostles since
they are tasked with founding and building up churches. Peter
demonstrated this kind of leadership when, on the day of
Pentecost, he stood, began to speak and thereby took control of
the crowd. Paul also demonstrated great leadership in Philippi,
Ephesus, and other places through his preaching and church
building. (Please note that leadership skills in varying degrees
are common to all of the five-fold ministries.)

d.      Possess Intimate Knowledge of the Lord
        If mature apostles "have full power to speak and act as
Jesus does," as Rengstorf says, this means they must possess a
special knowledge of and closeness to the Lord Jesus. One way we
can observe this intimacy with Christ is by the apostle's being
directed by the Holy Spirit on an ongoing basis.
        One example of this direction is when Peter and John stopped
on their way to the temple, looked at the lame man and Peter
said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." (Acts 3:6 NIV).
This act was totally unplanned. Obviously the Holy Spirit spoke
to Peter and he moved in instant obedience. Some may say that
Peter and the other eleven could do such things because they had
watched Jesus do them.
        But Paul was not one of the original apostles. He obviously
gained his intimate knowledge of Jesus by prayer, study and by
listening to and obeying the Holy Spirit's direction. And through
the ages every mature apostle has had to do just as Paul did.
There is no other way to gain such intimacy with Christ. As the
apostle prays, learns, and listens to the Holy Spirit, he is able
to do whatever he is directed to build up the church.

e.      Signs and Wonders
        In 2 Corinthians Paul identifies what could be called
"apostolic signs." He wrote, "The things that mark an apostle-
signs, wonders and miracles--were done among you with great
perseverance." (12:12 NIV) Again, turning to Rengstorf, he says
this of apostolic signs: ". . . the accompanying works are
displays of Christ's power which validate the divine message as
fact and not just theory. They are indispensable, not to the
messengers, but to the message."
        From the above, and from human experience, we know that even
today's apostles do have signs, wonders and miracles accompany
their ministries from time to time. In my travels among the
church in the developing nations I often hear of local apostles
whose ministry is validated by miracles. I know an African
apostle who was translated from one place to another. I know
other African apostles who have raised the dead. Jesus is still
in the business of validating His word through signs and wonders!

Apostles Need to Mature in Their Call and Ministry
        The apostles we see throughout Scripture are men with
extraordinary power and authority. But remember, no one is born
that way. Nor are the apostles in Scripture infallible. Remember
the occasion when Paul rebuked Peter for refusing to eat with
Gentile Christians? (See Gal 2.) Indeed, as with every call and
every gifting the Lord gives us, an apostle must mature in that
call and gifting. And, like Peter, who made his share of
mistakes, the apostle will make mistakes along the way. But that
in no way diminishes his apostleship. The mature apostle is an
extraordinary person who moves in great power in the church.
        The mature apostle is and must be very versatile. Remember,
his main call is to plant churches. Therefore, at least in the
early stages of the newly planted church, the apostle must be
able to fulfill all the offices and giftings needed in a church.
He may, as the occasion arises, perform capably in any other of
the five-fold ministry offices. He may evangelize, pastor, teach
and on occasion fill the role of a prophet as did the apostle
John when he received and wrote the Book of Revelation. He also
may move in the gifts such as administration, helps, words of
knowledge, words of wisdom, and so on.
        In other words, the apostle must be able to do whatever is
needed at the moment to plant and nurture a church body. This is
the work of the apostle. It is foundational to the plans and
purposes of God in these last days. God has called on His church
to be His hands and feet. And the apostle is a mighty and
integral part of those plans.

        Part II will continue with the study on the works and the
hardships of the apostle, apostles in the Bible, apostles since
the Reformation, and apostles today.

1.  The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Volume I, Wm.
    B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Grand Rapids, Mich., pages 202 - 204.

2.  NIV Bible Commentary, Volume 2: New Testament, Kenneth L. Barker
    & John Kohlenberger III Consulting Editors, Zondervan Publishing
    House, Grand Rapids, Mich. page 1141.

3.  Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Gerhard Kittel and
    Gerhard Fredrich, editors, Abridged in One Volume by Geoffrey
    Bromiley, Copyright 1985 by William B. Eerdmans Publishing
    Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., pages 70 - 74.