Are you an apostle?
Answer ”No” if you sense no calling or compulsion to reach out to new places and to people who don’t know Christ.
Answer “Yes” if you do.
And apostle is a “sent one.” Your Christ-centered calling and compulsion to reach out is the “sent one” part. As you put feet to that, and go where you are sent, you are apostle-ing!
It’s not a title. It’s an activity.
If you make it a title rather that a description you may confuse yourself and others. Just like churchy titles have set us up.
On the other hand, if you don’t own it’s existence you may not plug into the Holy Spirit’s strength. It comes when you know the Lord is sending you forth with revelation, wisdom, vision, and voice.
What prompted this article was my reading of Romans 11:13 – “Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I glory in my ministry” (NAB)
Do you glory in your ministry? Paul did.
Do you know you have one? Paul did.
Of course there are other functions of ministry that may be your emphasis: “And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,” (Ephesians 4:11, NAB)
I know I am sent to reach those who are not reached. I know my location assignment starts right here in the California Central Valley.
Connecting with you in your ministry epicenter is exciting too. I’m most interested in working with believers who are passionate about reaching those who are not reached.
Is that your calling?
Please, email your thoughts to me! I ALWAYS like to hear from you! Please DON’T WAIT until you have something profound! Just click here NOW, write, and send. I’ll respond personally. Thanks, John Parker.
Apostle notes:
Strong’s 652. ἀπόστολος apóstolos
; gen. apostólou, masc. noun from apostéllō (649), to send. Used as a subst., one sent, apostle, ambassador. Sometimes used syn. with presbeutḗs, ambassador, related to presbeúō (4243), to act as an ambassador (2 Cor. 5:20; Eph. 6:20). The messenger or ambassador (Phil. 2:25 [see also Phil. 4:18]) can never be greater than the one who sends him (John 13:16; Sept.: 1 Kgs. 14:6). The Lord chose the term apóstoloi to indicate the distinctive relation of the Twelve Apostles whom He chose to be His witnesses because in Class. Gr. the word was seldom used (Luke 6:13; Acts 1:2, 26). Therefore, it designates the office as instituted by Christ to witness of Him before the world (John 17:18). It also designates the authority which those called to this office possess. See the verb apostéllō in Rom. 10:15. Paul combines both these meanings (Rom. 1:1; 11:13; 1 Cor. 1:1; 9:1, 2; 15:9; 2 Cor. 1:1; 12:12; Gal. 1:1). It was the distinctive name of the Twelve Apostles originally (Matt. 10:2; Luke 6:13; 9:10; 22:14; Rev. 21:14) or the eleven later, with whom Paul himself was reckoned, as he says in 1 Cor. 15:7, 9; Acts 1:26. Paul justified his being counted as an apostle by the fact that he had been called to the office by Christ Himself.
However, the denomination seems from the very beginning to have been applied, in a much wider sense, to all who ministered as colleagues of the Twelve and bore witness of Christ (Acts 14:4, 14 of Paul and Barnabas; Acts 15:2; Rom. 16:7 of Andronicus and Junias; 2 Cor. 8:23) and even by Paul (2 Cor. 11:13; 1 Thess. 2:6). This general meaning of the word held its place alongside its special and distinctive application.
There is no continuity of the office of an apostle since in no place were the churches instructed to ordain apostles.
The term is applied to Christ once in Heb. 3:1 who was sent by the Father into the world, not to condemn it but to save it (John 3:17; 17:3, 8, 21, 23; 20:21).
In Corinth there were what Paul calls hoi huperlían apóstoloi (2 Cor. 11:5; 12:11), translated “the very chiefest apostles.” The adj. huperlían derives from the prep. hupér (5228), more, beyond, super, above, and the adv. lían (3029), exceedingly. These were those who claimed to be exceedingly above the other apostles whose words, they insisted, should be heard above the authentic apostolic teaching.
Other references: Mark 6:30; Luke 11:49; 17:5; 24:10; Acts 2:37, 42, 43; 4:33, 35–37; 5:2, 12, 18, 29, 34, 40; 6:6; 8:1, 14, 18; 9:27; 11:1; 15:4, 6, 22, 23, 33; 16:4; Rom. 11:13; 16:7; 1 Cor. 4:9; 9:5; 12:28, 29; Gal. 1:17, 19; Eph. 1:1; 2:20; 3:5; 4:11; Col. 1:1; 1 Tim. 1:1; 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:1, 11; Titus 1:1; 1 Pet. 1:1; 2 Pet. 1:1; 3:2; Rev. 2:2; 18:20. (Zodhiates, S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary : New Testament Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.)