Are there still apostles today?

[TonyChanYT]

What was an apostle in the Bible?

There were three categories of apostles in the Bible. The first referred exclusively to the Twelve, Revelation 21:

14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles [G652] of the Lamb.

Strong's 652: From apostello; a delegate; specially, an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ.

G652 appears 80 times. It is a rather common word.

The second category included some prominent disciples commissioned by the Holy Spirit, Acts 13:

2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

And they were recognized as such, Acts 14:

14 when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:

The third category included some lesser-known and generic apostles who were sent forth with orders by churches, Berean Literal Bible, 2 Corinthians 8:

23 Whether as regards Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for you; or our brothers, they are apostles [G652] of the churches, the glory of Christ.

Are there still apostles today?

Sure, 1 Corinthians 12:

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.

27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. … 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

Apostles are one of the higher gifts of the Holy Spirit, But be warned. Paul wrote in the follow-up letter 2 Corinthians 11:

12 what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

You need to test their claim. Who sends them? What are the signs to prove that they are apostles?

In Toronto, I encountered a man who claimed to be an apostle. He was sent by a church or denomination. I am not under that particular denomination's authority, and I have no obligation to accept his authority. Neither did I accuse him of being a false apostle.

 

[Jay Ross]

Yes, but the wallow in which we all live often hides the gifting that a person may have because some mud may stick to them as well.

We all need to look a little closer at the person to see God's heart in them, under the smearing of the mud, operating in the giftings that they have been given by God.

 

[Nancy]

What was an apostle in the Bible?

There were three categories of apostles in the Bible. The first referred exclusively to the Twelve, Revelation 21:


Strong's 652: From apostello; a delegate; specially, an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ.

G652 appears 80 times. It is a rather common word.

The second category included some prominent disciples commissioned by the Holy Spirit, Acts 13:


And they were recognized as such, Acts 14:


The third category included some lesser-known and generic apostles who were sent forth with orders by churches, Berean Literal Bible, 2 Corinthians 8:


Are there still apostles today?

Sure, 1 Corinthians 12:



Apostles are one of the higher gifts of the Holy Spirit, But be warned. Paul wrote in the follow-up letter 2 Corinthians 11:


You need to test their claim. Who sends them? What are the signs to prove that they are apostles?

In Toronto, I encountered a man who claimed to be an apostle. He was sent by a church or denomination. I am not under that particular denomination's authority, and I have no obligation to accept his authority. Neither did I accuse him of being a false apostle.

Hi Tony,
It's ironic to me, that you bring this up. I know a married couple, more a brother of mine's friends but, I know them and have fellowshipped with them in the past. He is in his later 80's now, and not doing well physically. His wife is a good 8-10 years younger. My brother has recently told me they left their church of about 35 years for a new movement; N.A.R. or, "New Apostolic Reformation" have you heard of this?
My friends left their church a good 5 years ago if not more now, and joined this new church/movement. He believes he is now an Apostle. I do not know what to think of it.
Here is a site to some info about it. What do you think of this?

New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) | Berean Research

bereanresearch.org

 

[Cassandra]

Hi Tony,
It's ironic to me, that you bring this up. I know a married couple, more a brother of mine's friends but, I know them and have fellowshipped with them in the past. He is in his later 80's now, and not doing well physically. His wife is a good 8-10 years younger. My brother has recently told me they left their church of about 35 years for a new movement; N.A.R. or, "New Apostolic Reformation" have you heard of this?
My friends left their church a good 5 years ago if not more now, and joined this new church/movement. He believes he is now an Apostle. I do not know what to think of it.
Here is a site to some info about it. What do you think of this?

New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) | Berean Research

bereanresearch.org

Alot of the leaders of that church are pretty questionable.

 

[MatthewG]

Not if they never were chosen and trained by Jesus personally (like in the gospel narrative.) Good luck! People can still be “sent” but not like that, it’s quite different.

 

[Nancy]

Yes, I wonder, do they think they too will have pillars in heaven with their names written on them? Not a chance.
This whole thing bothers me as I know them as Paul n Peg, a part of the mainline Christian community for decades and then, this. And also that Paul has something wrong with his leg, and since he had some kind of surgery on it, he cannot walk on it. Peg is a good bit younger than him but still no spring chicken! I hope their "church" family is reaching out to them.

 

[Ritajanice]

What is an apostle?​

ANSWER

The word apostle means “one who is sent out.” In the New Testament, there are two primary usages of the word apostle. The first is in specifically referring to the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. The second is in generically referring to other individuals who are sent out to be messengers/ambassadors of Jesus Christ.

The twelve apostles held a unique position. In referring to the New Jerusalem, Revelation 21:14 states, “The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” The twelve apostles are also referred to in Matthew 10:2; Mark 3:14; 4:10; 6:7; 9:35; 14:10, 17, 20; Luke 6:13; 9:1; 22:14; John 6:71; Acts 6:2; and 1 Corinthians 15:5. It was these twelve apostles who were the first messengers of the gospel after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was these twelve apostles who were the foundation of the church—with Jesus being the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).

This specific type of apostle is not present in the church today. The qualifications of this type of apostle were: (1) to have been a witness of the resurrected Christ (1 Corinthians 9:1), (2) to have been explicitly chosen by the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:15), and (3) to have the ability to perform signs and wonders (Acts 2:43; 2 Corinthians 12:12). The responsibility of the twelve apostles, laying the foundation of the church, would also argue for their uniqueness. Two thousand years later, we are not still working on the foundation.

Beyond the unique twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, there were also apostles in a generic sense. Barnabas is referred to as an “apostle” in Acts 13:2 and 14:14. Andronicus and Junias are possibly identified as apostles in Romans 16:7. The same Greek word usually translated “apostle” is used to refer to Titus in 2 Corinthians 8:23 and Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:25. So, there definitely seems to be room for the term apostle being used to refer to someone besides the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. Anyone who was “sent” could be called an apostle.

What exactly would be the role of an apostle outside that of the twelve apostles? That is not entirely clear. From the definition of the word, the closest thing today to an apostle, in the general sense, is a missionary. A missionary is a follower of Christ who is sent out with the specific mission of proclaiming the gospel. A missionary is an ambassador of Christ to people who have not heard the good news. However, to prevent confusion, it is likely best to not use the term apostle to refer to any position in the church today. The vast majority of occurrences of the word apostle or apostles in the New Testament refer to the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.

There are some today who are seeking to restore the position of apostle. This is a dangerous movement. Frequently, those claiming the office of apostle seek authority equal to, or at least rivaling, the authority of the original twelve apostles. There is absolutely no biblical evidence to support such an understanding of the role of apostle today. This would fit with the New Testament’s warning against false apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13).

In a sense, all followers of Jesus Christ are called to be apostles. We are all to be His ambassadors (Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20). We are all to be “ones who are sent out” (Acts 1:8). We are all to be preachers of the good news (Romans 10:15).

 

[TonyChanYT]

My brother has recently told me they left their church of about 35 years for a new movement; N.A.R. or, "New Apostolic Reformation" have you heard of this?

No.

He believes he is now an Apostle. I do not know what to think of it.

I would not bother thinking much about it until he has performed some signs/miracles.

Here is a site to some info about it. What do you think of this?

New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) | Berean Research

bereanresearch.org

For better or worse, I am an efficient person. I don't like to spend much time reading stuff like that. My brain prefers to read the Bible, exegeses, and science. However, if you have a more specific question about them, quote their words, and I'll try to comment on it

 

[JohnDB]

Many are "called" to be followers of Christ, few are "chosen" to be leaders.

Leaders lead because others follow....not because they were given a title by someone who wishes to make them a tool of some sort. (VINEYARD church made a lot of "tools" but most of them dissolved into nothingness because they really didn't have the anointing by God)

An Apostle is someone sent by God to a group of people. A missionary to small churches...not to govern them (they are to do that themselves) but to guide them always back to the scriptures for answers instead of their own imaginations. That's it....their entire job is to start and guide new Churches.

And if Evangelism is not your thing....then you are not an Apostle. Adoniram Judson was declared America's first Missionary but in truth it was George Lyle. The success speaks for itself. Judson was talked into going and failing miserably....George grabbed his wife and ran because the Colonists wanted to make him a slave (his wife was a freed woman) So he got the British to dump him off in Jamaica on his way out. There he did as before with starting hundreds of churches. (Judson had one person "convert" that only halfway sorta believed....no churches were started and his wife died of yellow fever. )

There ya go....the difference between a real Apostle and a fake one.

 

[Augustin56]

There are no Apostles alive today. Their successors, the bishops, are, however. The difference between an Apostle and a bishop? The Apostles saw and lived with Jesus. The bishops did not. Both groups have the same God-given authority, however.