I am looking for information on the relevancy of the gift of apostleship in this day and age.
[b]Has this been discussed before?[/b] I did a search and couldn't come up with anything.

[b]Does Calvary Chapel believe in apostles?[/b] It seem like I remember hearing Don McClure say he was an apostle (in the sense of establishing churches).

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks. :-)

Thanks for the reply, Greg. Are there any sermons or articles on this topic on SI?
I've seen the gift of apostleship as one who establishes churches, whether local or foreign, and then moves on after God has established the leadership in that church. Like what the apostle Paul did. But some people say that apostles are only those who saw Christ in His life time. Thus, we wouldn't have apostles today.
Would you say that one would [i]have to have[/i] an experience beyond what a normal Christian would have to be an apostle?

I feel like taking a slightly different stance on this thread. I believe what we need in the modern day apostle, more than the ability to found fellowships (which I am not belittling) is we need men and women in the church with the character of apostles as we see in the New Testament.

A modern day apostle that, whether pastorally or evangelistically focused makes a stand against the current age and, by the grace of God can call on believers in humility to "be imitators of me" (1Corinthians 4v15) Or "be imitators of me as I am also of Christ (1Cor 11v1).

In the verse before he calls people to imitate him he refers to being a father to the Corinthians, "for I have beggoten you in Christ Jesus through the Gospel". (1Cor4v14) Perhaps the apostle has a supernatural gift that combines and oversees that of pastorship and evangelism.

As Greg said, they are willing to suffer. The verses I refered to above are in the context of:

1Co 4:9-16 For I think that God has set forth us last, the apostles, as it were appointed to death; for we have become a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men. (10) We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honorable, but we are despised. (11) Even until this present hour we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have no certain dwelling place. (12) And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it; (13) being defamed, we entreat. We are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now. (14) I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. (15) For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for I have begotten you in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (16) Therefore I beseech you, be imitators of me."

A challenge to us all, in character.

Regarding what an apostolic man is to be in his character, I cannot recommend enough Art Katz's "Apostolic Foundations."

The question of whether there are modern day apostles is a great question to consider. What do the Scriptures say? Well, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that [b]there is at least one modern day apostle: Jesus Christ![/b] For it says in Hebrews 3:1 "...consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession." So, for those who might dismiss modern day apostles, they can't do so without dismissing Christ. And if Christ is a modern day apostle, then why can't there be other modern day apostles?

_________________
Jimmy H

Who is the Gifted One? Is not the Son the greatest Apostle that ever has or will be?

Who was gifted with every spiritual gift available? Was it not the Son of God. What was most important to Him being an Apostle or being a Son. Who disperses the Gifts of God as He wishes?

1 Corinthians 12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

1 Corinthians 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

Who has the manifestation of the Spirit?
Every man that is saved.

If we have the Son we have all of Him, not just part of Him in pieces here and there.

If The Son is the Gifted One and the Holy Spirit is the one that manifests all that Christ is in the believer, then all the Gifts are available to every man, it is up to the Holy Spirit to use them as He Pleases, not up to man to be gifted as an apostle, for the Body of Christ are all Apostles by the Christ that is in them and able to be used anytime the Holy Spirit pleases to the building up of the Body of Christ the Church.

1 Corinthians 12:8-11 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

This will set everybody at odds with me, but here it is.

1 Corinthians 12:27-31 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? Here it is; a resounding YES.
YES
We all have all the Gifts of Christ by the Holy Spirit and can be used anytime the Holy Spirit pleases in anyone that is saved by the Christ that is born again in Him.

But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

Then 1 Corinthians 13: If we had all the Gifts of the Spirit of Christ without Love we are a clanging cymbal and nothing works. Who is Love?
God is Love, Christ is Love, The Holy Spirit Makes Love the first prerequisite for dispersing a Gift. That is Christ in you the Hope of Glory.

We are all apostles in Christ Jesus by His birthing in us.

In Christ, an apostle of Christ by, "the Hope of Glory" of Christ in us: Phillip

Yet greater than this, son's. Then God the Father can use son's for any gift mentionsed, fulfilled by the Love of Christ, "who loved us first and gave His life for us.

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Praise God: Phillip

Gal 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

Tts 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

_________________
Phillip

I think if one is going to understand what apostolic ministry is, I think it is important to examine some Scriptures. I think this is a good first one to consider:

Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

This verse has often been misquoted and interpreted to mean that the purpose of the apostles was to write Scripture and the such. However, there is no evidence whatsoever that this was the purpose of apostolic ministry. If such was the purpose, then the first generation of apostles failed horriably. For of all the apostles named in Scripture, only Peter, Paul, John, Matthew and James wrote something that made it into the New Testament. And of these, only three were of the original tweleve!

So then, what is this verse saying? Apostolic ministry is a foundational ministry upon which the entire Church is built upon. This is not merely some once-for-all past tense phenomenon. Such is obviously included, however, if it were merely such, then Jesus Christ ministry is merely past tense as well, being that He is the corner stone of the entire building! But, we know that the ministry of Christ continues even today.

So, what exactly is this foundational ministry that apostles lay? I think Paul's words are best. Paul says, "According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder, I laid a foundation... For no man can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Cor 3:10-11) And how did Paul do this? He says:

Romans 15:19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. 20 And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation;

Paul's activity as an apostle at its core centered around establishing Christ where Christ was yet named. Once the name of Christ was established somewhere, it wasn't too long before Paul was getting an itch to move on somewhere else, and preach the gospel where the gospel had yet to be preached. However, that is not to say he only sought to preach where there were no other Christians, for he did desire to evangelize in Rome and "obtain some fruit among you." (Romans 1:13)

Paul seemed to break the land-speed record when it came to this work. For in the book of Acts, you seldom see him staying at any location more than a few months before going somewhere else. Sometimes he stayed over a year at a given location, but this seemed to be the exception, not the rule. Thus, it is not shocking to see that by the time he's writing the Romans, he's already considering doing missions work beyond their region.

However, don't conceive of the apostle as being merely somebody who is here one moment and then gone the next, and only bringing the gospel to people who have never heard it before. For his foundational work is not over simply because he went out and made a few converts in a city. Being that an apostle is a foundational man, he is also concerned about the maintaining of that foundation. He is interested in seeing that the foundation he established stand the test of time. He is concerned that those who now name Christ will continue to do so. Thus, he sought to come to the Romans not only to evangelize, but further help the Christians there be established in their faith (Romans 1:11).

Thus, in the book of Acts and the epistles, we see that apostles like Paul went about also "strengthening" the individual churches (Acts 14:22, 15:41, 16:5, 18:23), and providing pastoral oversight. Not only this, but they would also appoint elders in each locale (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5, 1 Tim 3) who would also provide pastoral oversight.

This all goes back to what was said in Ephesians 2:21-22. In strengthening established foundations, apostolic ministry exists to continue to build up and grow the local church. This is stated further in Ephesians 4:11-16, that apostolic ministry (amongst the other ministries) is for the equipping of the saints, building up the body of Christ to a mature man, and attaining unity.

So, in summary, apostolic ministry is mainly that of being who lays foundations. An apostle does this through missionary work by taking the gospel to where the gospel has never been. He also seeks to even "do the work of an evangelist" where Christ is already named. And finally, he seeks to strengthen the faith of the faithful, wherever they might be- even in a church where they never laid the original foundations e.g. Paul to the Romans.

I hope this has given you guys something to chew on.

_________________
Jimmy H