Modern Day Apostles
Are there modern day apostles alive today? If so, how can true apostles be recognized? After all, Jesus commended the church at Ephesus for testing false apostles: "you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars." (Rev. 2:2). Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15: "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works." So, the works and the fruit of false apostles will eventually show their true motives. However, there could only be "false" apostles if "genuine" apostles existed too.
I believe there have been true apostles walking the earth ever since the first century church. When Jesus ascended back into heaven after His resurrection, the Scriptures say that he "gave gifts unto men" and part of those gifts include the gift of apostles. Ephesians 4:11 names the four different equipping gifts as: 1) apostles, 2) prophets, 3) evangelists, and 4) pastor/teachers. Scripture certainly records other apostles besides the original twelve. A few biblical apostles other than the first twelve include: Paul, Barnabas, Andronicus and Junias (who was most likely a woman) just to name a few (Acts 14:14, Romans 16:7). The GIFT of apostle was never given to draw attention to personalities, but rather to live out a function for the Kingdom of God on earth. A gift is GIVEN by God and not earned by man. So being an apostle is not a promotion, but a living function.
The first twelve apostles of the Lamb were given authority from Christ and spiritual authority is often a hallmark of an apostle; however, true spiritual authority is always based on relationship. And since relationships cannot be forced, apostolic authority is organic in nature and based upon family type relationships and not a hierarchical structure. This is why Paul could say that to SOME he was an apostle but to others he was not (1 Corinthians 9:12). His authority in Christ to the Corinthians was based on the relationship he had with them. Consequently, all true apostles will be more concerned with relationships and not just enforcing their authority.
Listen to Paul's father-like heart, when he wrote to the church at Thessalonica: "For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a pretext for greed, God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become so dear to us. For you remember, brethren, our labor and travail; working night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. " (1 Thessalonians 2:5-12).
There are, however, "spheres of authority" that must be recognized. Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles but not to the Jews, and Peter was an apostle to the Jews but not the Gentiles. Whenever these men stepped outside of their God given sphere of authority they would get themselves into undo trouble. We only have authority to the extent that Jesus' authority is manifested through us, and He gives that authority as He wills. So, it is not an advancement or a "step up the corporate ladder" in the Kingdom to be given the gift of an apostle. There are apostles with authority over their neighborhoods, and apostles with authority over their cities, but in each case it will be a burden and calling from God. It can be recognized by man or rejected, but men in and of themselves cannot appoint apostles.
Galatians 1:1 tells us that Paul was an apostle because God ordained Him and not man: "Paul, an apostle - not from men, neither through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead." So God is the only one who calls and commissions apostles in His timing. People can either recognize the authority that God has given to His apostles or reject it, but it is still available. The problem is that there will be no unity in Christ's Body, the Church, until each member properly "submits one to another" (1 Peter 5:5). This mutual submission includes acknowledging the authority that God has given to His apostles.
The main problem with recognizing modern day apostles is that most people are looking for a worldly kind of authority. However, Jesus chose the foolish, and ordinary men of his day as apostles to confound the wise (1 Cor. 1:27). The forceful, domineering and "take charge" leadership that the world looks for in authority is often contrary to the spiritual authority of God. Leadership in God's kingdom is not about assertiveness or self-confidence, but rather humility and brokenness. The institutional church has yet to learn this apostolic truth and therefore is set up more like a modern day corporation with government heads at the top. Apostolic authority is just the opposite from this hierarchical type authority. The current institutional church must be turned upside down before it will function in apostolic authority, because the apostles are the foundation, and not the top floor: "having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." Ephesians 2:20-22
The ways in which apostolic authority works differently than modern day hierarchy authority is the most important characteristic in discerning true apostles from false apostles. Because this subject is so important, a full discussion on this topic has already been discussed in Chapter 4 "Spiritual Authority vs. Civil Authority" and it won't be repeated again here. It is sufficient to say that true apostles will not be forceful in asserting the spiritual authority that Christ has given them. They will be humble and submissive to Christ in the rest of His Body and not "lone rangers" off doing their own thing. A focus on strong covenant relationships will always follow a true apostle, because without strong gut-level trusting relationships there will be no unity, and true unity is the fruit of an apostolic anointing.
Apostles are taught by the Holy Spirit (Gal. 1:12), as should all believers. When people learn how the Holy Spirit teaches, I believe they will begin to recognize His apostles. We MUST be able to recognize the Lord as He speaks through His Word and through the "things of the Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:13,14). He may speak through a dream or a vision or a series of "coincidental" events or a word of prophecy. However, we must be mature and learn to put those things together as Isaiah 28:9-10 says: "Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts (immature Christians)? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line. Here a little, there a little."
Bringing all of these "things of the Spirit" together "here a little" and "there a little" requires patience and due diligence on our part to make a record of these things. This way we can bring all of the pieces of the puzzle together to comprehend what the Spirit of the Lord is saying on a certain subject or issue. This can be done on a personal basis, a small group basis, or on a city wide basis. But respecting what God says and writing down these things that the Lord shows us is very important and forms a personal or corporate journal from which we can derive direction. This method of following the Lord will also help us to discern the callings and giftings on people's lives.
After Paul's dramatic conversion, he spent fourteen years in Damascus being taught by the Holy Spirit. Paul explained to the church at Ephesus: "I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles. If indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery - as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ; which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets." (Ephesians 3:3-5). From this Scripture, we can see that God often reveals the "big picture" revelations to His apostles. In Paul's generation it was the mystery of the Gentiles being included in God's plan of the ages. Paul's generation saw the transition between the Age of Law into the Age of Grace. In our generation, the Lord is revealing the transition between the Age of Grace into the Age of the Kingdom, which includes the marriage of the Lamb to His Bride-Body Church. This larger perspective in vision is often what distinguishes apostles.
Apostle simply means "sent one" and there are many reasons that the Lord may "send" someone on a mission. Therefore, placing a definition on the function of an apostle is not a cut and dry task. Each apostle will have their direction from the Holy Spirit and it will involve different functions than others who are also called as apostles. The bottom line in discerning true apostles is to look for the fruit in their lives - "...for every tree is known by its own fruit." (Luke 6:44), and the fruits of the Spirit are: "...love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Gal. 5:22). Now that we have examined a few ways that we can recognize the character of a true apostle, let's explore the function of a "marketplace apostle." "from Sons to Glory" by Paul Jablonowski