The Apostle

The role of a functioning Apostle…

In its truest and most literal sense, one who is “Sent” by the Lord…For what purpose? The Bible clearly shows us, for the purpose of delivering the Gospel (testifying to the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins: See Acts 4:9-13) to a people who have not yet heard…to go to a place with an untapped well (Genesis 26:18-26), to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (Isaiah 52:7; 61:1-3), with signs and wonders accompanying; leading to the planting and overseeing of churches. (I have seen this for myself as a missionary to Kenya and I know it to be true) The Lord will always watch over the truth of His Word to perform it. (Jer. 1:12)

The first Apostles, having seen Jesus face to face (1Cor9:1), were the very first to do this, paving the way, in life and in death, for other missionaries (or “lesser apostles”, if you like) to follow in their footsteps: Some were given the privilege of writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit the (closed cannon) New Testament. As Jesus’s first followers - people who had seen him face to face and walked with him in life - this was their right and their privilege: to suffer and to die for Him and with Him (Gal.2:20)

The heart of an Apostle…

2Cor11:23-29

“Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 

“Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 

“I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.

“I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.

“Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. 

Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?”

Colossians 1:24-25

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 

of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known… 

                                      ~~~

So there it is…The heart and calling of a true Apostle of Christ. So I put it to the Church: is this how we see these modern day, self appointed “apostles” of the so called“New Apostolic Reformation” living?

…Or are they living lives of luxury and prosperity, requiring and receiving the status of a celebrity, rather than of a slave of Jesus Christ? (James 1:1).

When we stop and take a real honest look, we will all know the answer to that.

Why have we complicated things so much? - or rather - why have we allowed these people to complicate things for us? (See Matthew ch. 23 & Jude ch. 1)  I cannot help but be deeply concerned that in a time of great deception, the blood-bought Church of Christ Jesus is rapidly looking and functioning more and more like the world.

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. Luke 9:23-24

“Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also”. John 15:20

Paul’s words in 2Corinthians 11 should be a sobering check - a wake-up jolt - to anyone calling themselves an “apostle”, to prayerfully reconsider if their “calling” is truly of the Lord.

                                    ~~~

One of the claims made by these so called apostles and prophets, is that God is using them - through their dangerous “new revelation” - to build the foundations of the Church; and they misuse Ephesians 2:19-20 to back up this claim…Yet in Revelation ch.21:14 we read that the Holy City (the Bride of Christ) has “Twelve Foundation stones” -  TWELVE! : For the “Twelve Apostles of the Lamb” (See also Matthew ch.19:28)…

…Not 777…not 22:22…nor some other miscellaneous “prophetic” number…

Not “the twelve” - and other “apostles” who would come later; 

PLEASE, I speak as someone who operates in the gift of prophecy…I believe 100% in the gifts of the Holy Spirit - BUT: There is no room in true Christianity for the New Apostolic Reformation!

The role of the true Apostle has already been fulfilled. Our Foundation has already been laid, and now we look to Pastors, Elders, Teachers of the Word and all aspects of Service in the Body of Christ - including the vital gift of Prophecy and the other gifts of the Spirit - to ensure we continue to stand upon this Foundation. Because we are - not a pyramid - but a People…a team…a family! 

And what of Paul: the ‘thirteenth’ Apostle, to the Gentiles? See: https://undergod714.blogspot.com/2022/11/study-of-word-and-prophetic-word.html?m=1&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

In Acts 1:21-22, Peter, when considering who will replace Judas as the twelfth foundational Apostle, says the following: “So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”

Paul however, was an exception to this rule, having been unexpectedly “grafted in” for the purpose of preaching the gospel to the “thirteenth tribe” - the Gentiles. (see link above) The Bible tells us clearly that he was the LAST Apostle that the Lord would raise up to complete the laying of the Foundations of the Christian Faith: “LAST OF ALL, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” (Read 1Corinthians 15:3-8) Everything we build as believers must, and is being built upon THIS Foundation: But even this comes with a warning: see 1Corinthians 3:10-15

When we read Ephesians ch.2:19-20, we see clearly that our Foundation has ALREADY been laid: by the Apostles (New Covenant) and the Prophets (Old Covenant); when we put the two together we have the entire Word of God - with Jesus Christ at the center…the Chief Corner Stone!

Old Covenant 👉 ✝️YESHUA✝️ 👈 New Covenant 

By the Grace of God “It is finished!” All that is required of us is that by Faith, through Grace we walk in it!

(1Corinthians 12)

A. h. W.

#NewApostolicReformation #deception