What Makes Someone An Apostle in a Church?
When you ask what makes someone an apostle, do you know the meaning of the term apostle? Most people don’t know who’s an apostle and who isn’t.
Actually, an apostle’s job is pretty clear. They lay the foundation of God’s Kingdom by building on it with the message of grace. Namely, none of us deserve salvation but God made a way so we’re guiltless, not sinless.
Apostles are God’s messengers who complete special missions. You can’t wake up one day and decide to be an apostle and send yourself to whatever destination you choose. So, who can be called an apostle? And …
What Is An Apostle?
Over a period of months, I noticed jet trails in the sky. They seemed to be everywhere. Did God want me to fly somewhere, learn how to pilot a plane, or go on trips of His choice? I thought about how airplanes send out a wake of exhaust fumes. Intrigued by what seemed like God’s personal message to me, I looked up the word “jet” in Webster’s Dictionary.
I couldn’t believe what I saw. The word before jet in the dictionary is Jesus. Immediately the Holy Spirit dropped “Jesus sends” into my heart. God pointed out those white trails in the heavens so I wouldn’t forget what the word apostle means.
Just like jets, apostles are sent ones. For example, God sent Jesus to save people from their sins. Then, Jesus sent out the first twelve apostles (Matthias replaced Judas) to evangelize the world with the Gospel message. Also, Jesus sent Paul to preach to the gentile nations (anyone who wasn’t Jewish).
What Are the Qualifications of an Apostle?
- Perform signs and wonders: Miracles, healings, discerning of spirits, and words of wisdom accompany the office of the apostle. They may even prophesy to exhort, comfort, or edify.
- Administrator: Apostles clarify foundational doctrines and function as administrators. They may preach the message of salvation as led by the Holy Spirit because Jesus is the cornerstone of everything they do (Ephesians 2:20). They are visionaries and can recognize theological trends that would harm the church.
- Representative of the five-fold ministry: Along with prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, apostles help equip God’s people to attain fullness in Christ. If even one office of the fivefold ministry fails, it weakens the church. Churches fail because the weight normally falls on the pastor if the other offices aren’t performing optimally or not at all. One person isn’t spiritually equipped to build up the Body of Christ. It takes everyone’s cooperation and partnership for giftings and abilities to thrive.
- Church founder: Duties of apostles also include going to other nations and establishing churches. Sometimes they help pastors rehabilitate a church that’s fractured in order to restore unity. They may oversee apostolic teams to develop miracle ministries. Depending on how Jesus leads them, they may delegate their authority and leadership to other church bodies.
What Makes Someone An Apostle Today?
The 21st-century church doesn’t have the same view of apostles our biblical ancestors had. As Paul indicated in Galatians 1:1, men didn’t send him, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, commissioned him. There’s no question that the first apostles had an apostolic calling and witness because they knew Jesus personally.
So, apostleship is different in our modern culture. In today’s churches, many times apostles go and haven’t been sent. If that’s the case, they don’t have the spiritual authority to perform their duties. This may result in works of the flesh.
How do you know when someone is an apostle sent by God?
Through the Holy Spirit, Christians can recognize honest-to-goodness apostles. They sense the anointing on them to complete their role in the Body of Christ. That happened before Paul began his ministry. In Acts 13, the Holy Spirit spoke to the leaders in the church in Antioch. He told them to commission Barnabas and Saul and send them off as apostles.
First, God called them as apostles and then leaders within the church recognized their apostolic calling.
Sadly, church leaders fear that apostles may overtake the church when allowed to use God’s power for His purposes. Instead, they subdue the office of apostles by controlling leadership and setting manmade boundaries.
In Conclusion, What Makes Someone an Apostle?
Even if the church leadership doesn’t recognize your calling, God does. What many fail to realize is that any person in leadership is accountable to God. Anyone who sincerely serves God puts humility at the forefront of their thoughts and actions to work with others harmoniously.
In Jesus’ government, no one person leads the church. As Christians follow the Holy Spirit, everyone submits to each other’s authority as members of Christ’s body. For church government to work, one person doesn’t set out to work independently and cause dissension.
As an apostle, you must come to terms with where God wants you. If committee meetings and secular influences drive the leadership’s actions, that’s not the place for you.
Your job is to point out where the church lacks faith and make sure Christians build God’s Word into their lives. You don’t want to be in a church that drifts away from biblical truths.
Find a church that’s growing and one where Jesus wants you to go. That’s where you can use your apostolic gifts and reveal what Christ wants to do. You must listen to the Holy Spirit for the proper time to reveal God’s heart to others.
Some apostles know exactly how to build a church while others are leaders who know how to stick to a plan. God may give you a new idea that no one else has thought of and provide a team of individuals to get the work done.
Remember
You aren’t called to micro-manage details but provide a framework that honors God and keeps the church healthy. Smart church leaders welcome apostolic authority to gain wisdom and maturity and confirm the Lord’s guidance.
Be patient for others to accept your calling. They need to hear from God before they accept you as an apostle. At some point, they may call on you to establish sound doctrine, help discipline leaders, or bring wholeness to the church.