This is a collection of writings that deal with the issue of Apostles and whether the gift has ended or still exists today. Many different convictions are shared in these writings.

1. HOLY SPIRIT GIFT OF APOSTLESHIP
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Christianity Today
"e all know about the apostles named Peter, Paul, and John, but have you everheard of
Andronicus or Junia? Some are surprised to discover that the New Testament identifies
more apostles than the twelve men who followed Jesus around Galilee. That fact raises
some interesting, and even controversial, questions. What exactly is an apostle, what does
the gift of apostleship look like, and how should we understand an apostle's role today?
Current Issue
June 2019
Various theological streams and ecclesiastical traditions hold opposing views on
apostleship. Some believe the gift was limited to the twelve disciples closest to Christ.
Others contend that apostleship flourished during the foundational era of the church but is
no longer active today. On the other end are those who believe modern apostles exist and
possess the same authority as the Apostles who penned the New Testament.
Somewhere in the middle are those who affirm the gift's activity today but in a more
generic capacity. The word literally means "sent one," a designation that may be applied to
many believers. But the middle-ground viewpoint acknowledges there is a difference
between being gifted as an apostle (little "a") and possessing the authority of an Apostle
(capital "A").
Terry King, pastor of Bridge of Life Church in Hagerstown, Maryland, says there are men
and women currently doing apostolic ministry all over the world. As the executive director
of Leadership Development Resources, a role that has King working with church leaders in
over 20 nations, he has seenthe evidence. "But," he adds, "very few of them recognize it as
apostolic ministry, and they don't call it that."
The aversion to using any form of the word "apostle" is a holdover from the Reformation.
"For hundreds of years Protestant churches have tried hard to not be Roman Catholic in
terms of hierarchy and structure," says King. "But we still need leadership and structures.
So the apostolic gift is still working—we just find new titles for it."

2. William Beasley, the network leader for the Midwest region of Anglican Mission in the
Americas, concurs with this assessment. "The apostolic gift has many manifestations," he
says. "In the East African church you find people serving as bishops who have highly
apostolic gifts." But like many Protestant traditions, they do not assign the word "apostle"
to those exhibiting the gift. "The East African church is an incredible combination of a
highly structured order of authority, but it is still growing spontaneously through the
presence of apostles."
Spiritual entrepreneurs
The apostolic African leaders typify the primary function of the gift—the extension of
God's kingdom. Beasley sees this exemplified by Paul in the New Testament. "Initiating
new works to bring people to Jesus is apostolic. You see evidence of that in Paul's desire to
go to places where no one has yet preached the Gospel. He didn't want to build on someone
else's foundation."
Dave Ferguson, senior pastor of Community Christian Church in Naperville, Illinois, adds,
"People with the apostolic gift see overthe horizon. They're able to look at the spiritual
landscape and see where God is working." Ferguson recognizes this drive to extend God's
kingdom and initiate new things within himself, but he avoided the term "apostolic" for
years. Instead, he described himself as a "spiritual entrepreneur"—a term with less
theological baggage and more cultural panache. "I once assumed there were only twelve
apostles. Later I discovered there were at least sevenother apostles mentioned in the New
Testament. And Paul lists apostleship among the leadership functions given to the church
in Ephesians 4:11."
People with the apostolic gift look over the landscape and see where God is working.
Possessing a drive to extend God's kingdom as a spiritual entrepreneur is only one facet of
the apostolic gift. According to Beasley, there is a distinction between apostles and
missionaries who also carry the gospel to the unreached. Apostles, he says, are eager to
establish churches and not merely converts. "The apostolic gift leaves churches in its
wake."
This was how Terry King came to identify the apostolic gift while a pastor in the early '70s.
"We were wrestling with the growth taking place in our congregation, and I felt the Lord's
vision to begin planting new churches and raising up new leaders rather than just build a
bigger church." His passion for starting new things eventually led him as far as Zimbabwe
for five years and the Philippines for four years.

3. The vision to extend outward through planting multiple congregations is clearly evident in
Dave Ferguson's leadership as well. Community Christian Church has been a pioneer of
the multiple-site model now gaining popularity throughout the country. His church now
has nine campuses and partners with other congregations throughout the nation via the
New Thing Network.
Space makers
The church planting function of apostleship may explain why Paul lists it first among
spiritual gifts (1 Corinthains 12:28). According to Ferguson, we need apostolic leaders to
start new missional projects because that is the catalyst which unleashes all the other gifts.
"We're counting on apostles to do their thing so that everyone else can do theirs."
Beasley says, "Because the apostolic gift is focused on establishing churches, apostles are
keenly aware of all the other gifts. They want to see all the gifts flourish so that healthy
churches can be born." Ferguson calls this the "space making" role of apostles. "Apostles
get great joy from disappearing into the background," he says, "and allowing room for the
other gifts to emerge and grow."
This aspect of apostleship helps counter the notion that apostles are only concerned with
the extension of the kingdom and not the shepherding of souls. "You really cannot exercise
the apostolic gift without thinking about a team," says Beasley. This is because apostles
cannot accomplish their mission of planting sustainable churches without the other gifts
being present.
"I really have fun when I'm with a team," says King. "Part of the price of starting new
churches is that the apostle must do everything while creating space and waiting for the
other gifts to emerge. But once they do, once a team of gifted leaders is established, then I
can focus on the specific gifts the Lord has given me."
Extenders and connecters
After starting new churches, the Apostle Paul maintained a connection with the leaders of
those communities. He functioned as a spiritual father to those his apostolic gift had raised
up. "The priority should be on relationships," says King. "There should be an ongoing
relationship between the churches." This is part of the apostolic function.
These connections are more than feel-good; they have a very pragmatic function. The bond
between local leaders and apostles, says King, is the relational capital necessary to
overcome the problems that every church will eventually encounter. This is the central
motivation behind most of the epistles Paul wrote.

4. Dave Ferguson recalls the need to intervene in a church Community Christian planted in
New York—800 miles away. "My brother, John, was flying in once a month to maintain a
close connection with the leader we'd mentored who started the church. Later the pastor
made some compromises, but because of our ongoing relationship, we could stepin and
help him. The whole situation came off right."
Unfortunately, the importance of relationships often gets eclipsed by organizational
structures. This may be another reason the apostolic gift has been overlooked. "The model
for churches connecting to each other should be a family, but in the West we've made it a
corporation," argues King. "This is why the relational function of the apostle between
churches has been replaced by the organizational function of the CEO, the president, the
bishop, or the pope. Apostles aren't concerned with carrying an organization from
generation to generation, but making new generations. It's about reproduction. It's
familial. It's relational."
In established denominations, local churches are often supervised by bishops or district
superintendents. These are positions designed for the expression of the apostolic gift, but
many of these offices are now occupied by people lacking the gift. It's a case of structure
trumping gifting. "We need organizations and structures to support relationships," says
King, "But unfortunately in most denominations, things get reversed and the people
support the structure."
Shepherd of shepherds
Speaking to those bound by denominational structures, Beasley says, "I encourage
superintendents to start having lunches with pastors and visit their churches for reasons
other than to fill the pulpit. Building the relationship and trust is the goal." But ideally,
positions that oversee multiple congregations should be filled by those exhibiting an
apostolic gifting—a history of extending God's kingdom by starting new churches,
releasing spiritual gifts, and connecting leaders through the bonds of relationship.
The paternal bond between apostles and pastors underscores the source of apostolic
authority. It isn't organizational or institutional, but an authority rooted in personal
experience and trust. Beasley says, "Those with the gift of apostleship care deeply about
people and pastors. They care so much they want to raise up more pastors." Terry King
adds, "Just as every pastor needs an apostle, every apostle also needs pastors."
As essential as the apostolic gift is to the church and its mission, those who possess the gift
recognize it carries a price. "Loneliness is an issue in apostolic ministry," says King.
"When you're pushing into new territory, either geographically or spiritually, you can

5. neglect the more important aspects of life, such as your personal walk with the Lord and
family. Visionary types tend to bite off more than they should at one time."
Beasley also sees leaders who are apostolically gifted increasingly frustrated by church
structures that inhibit their calling. "Many don't have a way of understanding or
expressing their apostolic gift within their church system. They are forced to make a
decision. Either create a way for the gift of God to be lived out, or continually suppress it."
Of course, the best outcome is for churches and denominations to acknowledge the
importance of the apostolic gift and create opportunities for these leaders. "It's one of the
basic assumptions of the New Testament, isn't it?" says Beasley. "We needall the gifts."
Spiritual gift of Apostleship BY JARED BUDDY
Definition:
Apostleship is the spiritual gift and supernatural ability to pioneer new churches and
ministries in unchartered territories and mentor others to successfully do the same.
Description:
The word Apostle comes from the Greek word Apostle that means to be “sent forth.” This
word was originally used as a naval term speaking for the ships that would be
commissioned to go into new territory through military expeditions. Some church planters
and missionaries function in an apostolic gifting when they pioneer new churches and
mentor spiritual sons and daughters from their own life experience.
Examples from the Scripture:
The Scriptures seemto reveal two categories of people who were called apostles. First we
see what we will call the foundational Apostles who were chosen by Jesus and operated
under a specific mandate to birth the Church. A few references to their unique purpose
and function are found in the following verses: Acts 1:25, 1 Corinthians 15:8-10, and
Ephesians 2:20. However, the New Testament also refers to a secondary category of
believers who were not chosen by Jesus but are told to have possessedthe gift of
apostleship. This includes the following people: Barnabas (Acts 14:14); Andronicus and
Junias (Romans 16:7); James (Galatians 1:19); Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25); Apollos (1
Corinthians 4:69); Two unnamed apostles (2 Corinthians 8:23); and Timothy and Silas (1
Thessalonians 1:1; 2:6).

6. When this gift is present:
When the apostolic spiritual gifting is present in a local church, leaders and ministries will
function in their proper alignment. Very much like a natural father or mother, those
graced with the gift of apostleship bring order, security, affirmation, and empowerment to
the household of God. With the presence of an apostle there will be great energy and focus
on fulfilling the great commission through empowering others in their gifting to be “sent
out” to fulfill what God has called them to do.
When this gift is absent:
There are two ways that the spiritual gift of apostleship can be missing in the body of
Christ. It is possible to have people who claim to be apostles but are not truly called or
gifted (2 Corinthians 11:5; 13). And it is also possible to have a void of this gift altogether (1
Corinthians 4:15). In both cases when the gift of apostleship is missing there will be little
expansion of the Gospel into new territories, and leaders will lack spiritual fathers and
mothers to help them mature.
In the Life of Jesus:
Hebrews 3:1 refers to Jesus as “the apostle and high priest” of our faith. The life of Jesus is
the perfect example of what it means to be an apostle. Jesus was “sent forth” from the
father on a mission to “seek and save the lost,” but he did not try to do this all on his own.
He planted a church (Matthew 16:19) and empowered and discipled people around him.
He then sent them forth on a mission.
Do you have the spiritual gift of Apostleship?
* Are you called and qualified to pioneer a new church?
* Do you minister effectively cross culturally?
* Do people look to you as their spiritual covering?
* Take our free spiritual gift test
Practical ways to implement and develop the spiritual gift of Apostleship:
* Find a mentor who has demonstrated the spiritual gift of apostleship over a long period
of time.
* Talk with your mentor about the desire to start a new ministry or church.
* Check out our Bible Studies on spiritual gifts.

7. Spiritual Gift of Apostleship https://spiritualgiftstest.com/
The spiritual gift of apostleship is sometimes confused with the office of Apostle. The office
of Apostle was held by a limited number of men chosen by Jesus
including the twelve disciples (Mark 3:13-19) and Paul (Romans 1:1). The requirements
for the office of Apostle included being a faithful eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry and His
resurrection (Acts 1:21-22; 1 Corinthians 9:1) and being personally called by Jesus
(Galatians 1:1). The Apostles were given authority by Jesus to do many different things to
establish the church, including writing Scripture and performing miracles (John 14:26, 2
Peter 3:15-16, 2 Corinthians 12:12).
There are no more that hold the office of Apostle today, but the gift of apostleship
continues in a different sense. Jesus gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and
teachers at His ascension (Ephesians 4:7-12), and these represent a distinct category of
apostles. They do not have the authority to write Scripture as the original Apostles did.
They also have a different purpose in the sense of establishing the church – the foundation
has already been set.
The mission for those with the gift of apostleship today is to plant new ministries and
churches, go into places where the Gospel is not preached, reach across cultures to
establish churches in challenging environments, raise up and develop leaders, call out and
lead pastors and shepherds, and much more. They often have many different gifts that
allow them to fulfill their ministry. These are leaders of leaders and ministers of ministers.
They are influencers. They are typically entrepreneurial and are able to take risks and
perform difficult tasks. Missionaries, church planters, certain Christian scholars and
institutional leaders, and those leading multiple ministries or churches often have the gift of
apostleship. See also Ephesians 4:11, I Corinthians 12:28, Acts 1:21-22, 1 Corinthians 9:1."
What is the gift of apostleship? https://depending-on-god.blogspot.com
The term apostle is common throughout the New Testament. The twelve disciples of Jesus
Christ were referred to as apostles. In a traditional view, the apostles were the official
commissioners of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 10:1-4) In similar manner, the Apostle Paul
describes how the Holy Spirit has given the gift of apostleship to some believers. In a

8. broader sense, believers entrusted with the gift of apostleship are ambassadors of the
gospel. (I Corinthians 12:10, 28-29; Ephesians 4:11)
The spiritual gift of apostleship, or being an ambassador, is when the Holy Spirit guides a
believer to leave his or her own local area for the purpose of spreading and relating the
message of the gospel to individuals in different areas of the world. An individual entrusted
with the spiritual gift of apostleship feels led by the Holy Spirit to participate in mission
trips, whether short-term or on a full-time basis, to different areas of the world and/or
regions of a country for the ultimate purpose of glorifying God. Many churches often refer
to people indwelled with this gift as missionaries.
The Apostle Paul makes it clear that not all believers are called to be ambassadors, since
only some believers are entrusted with the gift of apostleship. In the Apostle Paul’s letter to
the Corinthians, he asks a series of rhetorical questions – “Are all apostles? Are all
prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?” (I Corinthians 12:29 NIV) The Apostle
Paul reiterates this same point to the Ephesians with the words, “It was he who gave some
to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and
teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up….” (Ephesians 4:11-12 NIV)
Believers who are indwelled with the gift of apostleship usually have other spiritual gifts
and individual talents that help distinguish their specific type of missionary work. For
example, you have missionary church builders who may be talented carpenters with the
gifts of apostleship and helps. Similarly, missionary church planters are often entrusted
with the gifts of leadership, pastoring and apostleship. The list could easily continue with
seemingly endless combinations. So in a sense, being a “missionary” is not necessarily
limited to its traditional usage of pastoring and/or teaching people in a foreign country.
Rather, the gift of apostleship enables certain believers to venture outside of their local
communities and utilize their God-given individual talents and spiritual gifts anywhere in
the world as ambassadors of Jesus Christ, be it building/planting churches or reaching out
to people in a constructive and meaningful manner that ultimately glorifies God."

9. What Are the Qualifications for an Apostle? https://www.reference.com/
The qualification for apostleship, according to the Bible, includes being sent on an errand
or to deliver a message from God. The word apostle means one sent on a mission. Jesus
himself was an apostle, as God sent him to deliver his message.
Jesus also had apostles in addition to being one. He hand-selected 12 men to hold
apostleship; however, the criteria he used to select them was never disclosed. The apostle
Peter later devised a list of characteristics that one must possess to be considered for an
apostleship, which included having witnessed Jesus' death on the cross, having walked and
talked with him, and having witnessed his baptism."
Apostleship / Apostle helpmewithbiblestudy.org/
In the two lists of spiritual gifts where apostle is mentioned, there is an apparent order of
gifting, and apostles are designated as first.
And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then
miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. (1 Cor
12:28)
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as
pastors and teachers, (Eph 4:11)
The Bible does not indicate when the gift of apostleship was bestowed; however, the
position of apostle was well known among the apostles and understood to be men chosen by
divine appointment and shared in Jesus’ entire ministry from His baptism by John to the
witness of the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:20-26).
It is on Pentecost that there is a manifest display of supernatural power promised by Jesus
(Luke 24:49) with physical phenomena (Acts 2:1-4) and a bold grasp of the Scriptures by
"uneducated and untrained men" (Acts 2:14-37, 40-47; 4:13-14, 19-20).
It is difficult to differentiate whether the twelve apostles are twelve men who received the
spiritual gift of apostleship or if they are in a special class all by themselves. Revelations
21:14 seems to indicate that Jesus’ chosen twelve (Matthias replaced Judas Iscariot) are a
special class all by themselves. Thus to gain some insight into the gift of apostleship, it may
be worthwhile to study the men the Bible identified as apostles outside of the Twelve:
James, the half brother of Jesus (1 Cor 15:5-9; Gal 1:19), Barnabas (Acts 14:14) and Paul
(Acts 14:14). Note: while it is possible that there were more apostles during the genesis of
the church (1 Cor 15:5-7), only three were mentioned.

10. While James (1 Cor 15:7) and Paul (1 Cor 15:8) witnessed the resurrected Lord, it cannot
be concluded with certainty if this was a prerequisite for the gift of apostleship. Barnabas is
not specifically mentioned as a witness; however, he was very involved in the early
Jerusalem church (Acts 4:36), and it is very possible that Barnabas witnessed the
resurrected Lord. Aside from this, several observations can be made of these apostles:
The teaching of the apostles was authoritative and established doctrine (1 Thess 1:5). Their
writings and letters were the words of God (1 Cor 14:37-38; 1 Thess 2:13; Gal 1:8-9),
composed the New Testament and were foundational for establishing the church (Eph 2:20-
21; 3:3-5). It is believed that an apostle of Christ was personally taught by the resurrected
Christ as indicated by Paul (Gal 1:11-24; Luke 24:27, 45; Acts 1:3).
James, overseeing pastor of the Jerusalem church (Acts 15:13-21), wrote one book of the
New Testament: James.
Barnabas did not author a New Testament book; however, he was held in high regard
(Acts 14:12 suggests slightly more than Paul) and was an effective teacher (Acts 11:22-26).
Paul wrote thirteen books of the New Testament: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians,
Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus and
Philemon. Scholars debate whether Paul also authored Hebrews.
The gift of apostleship included the ability of performing miracles to valid their apostleship
and testimony of Jesus Christ (Acts 13:6-12; 14:8-12; 16:16-19, 25-33; 19:11-17; 20:9-12; 2
Cor 12:12).
The gift of apostleship established their authority to organize the local churches (Acts
11:19-26), set standards for leadership (1 Tim 3:1-13) and appoint their leaders (Acts
14:23; Tit 1:5-9).
The authority included instruction on faith and practice (Acts 15:29; 1 Cor 4:17; 2 Thess
2:15).
The authority over churches included administering discipline (1 Tim 1:20; 1 Cor 4:21; 2
Cor 13:2).
The gift of apostleship instilled a love and passion for people in the service of God despite
the risk of personal safety (Acts 20:18-21).
In many ways, those with the gift of apostleship were similar to the Old Testament prophet
in function and authority (Ex 4:1-17; Deut 18:18-20).
Paul suggests that, "as the last of the apostles," there were no more apostles of Christ after
him (1 Cor 4:9; 15:8-11). It would seemthat the gift of apostleship is no longer bestowed
and with it no further addition to the New Testament canon."

11. Is Apostleship a Spiritual Gift?
By: Sam Storms
Although the term "apostle" is found in 1 Cor. 12:28 and Eph. 4:11, it is never explicitly
called a charisma or "spiritual gift". Exhorters are those who exhort, teachers teach,
healers heal, those who have the gift of faith exercise extraordinary faith, and so on. But
how does an "apostle" (noun) "apostle" (verb)? What does it mean to minister as an
apostle? One ministers as a discerner of spirits by discerning spirits. One ministers as a
giver by giving. However, to say that one is enabled to minister as an apostle does not tell
me what the gift of apostle-ing (to coin a term) is. As Jack Deere explains,
"It is virtually impossible to define the 'gift' of apostleship in the same way that the other
gifts can be defined. We can easily conceive of someone exercising the gift of prophecy
without being a prophet. The same is true for all the other gifts. But how could someone
come to a meeting of a local assembly and exericse the gift of apostleship in that meeting
without actually being an apostle? An apostle in an assembly might teach, or prophesy, or
heal, or lead, or administrate. But what would it mean to exercise the gift of apostleship?
We simply cannot think of apostleship apart from the historical apostles. In the New
Testament an apostle is not a spiritual gift but a person who had a divinely given
commission and ministry." (Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, 242).
Several observations are in order:
1) Spiritual gifts, as described in 1 Cor. 12:7-10, are divinely energized deeds that are
done. But how does one do apostle-ing? We know how one might do prophecy or mercy or
encouragement. But apostleship, it would seem, is not an inner working of the Holy Spirit
through a human vessel, but an office to which one is called by Christ Jesus himself.
2) If apostleship were a charisma, it would be the only one for which a person must
meet certain qualifying criteria. Paul describes the charismata as if the potential always
exists for any person to be the recipient of any gift, depending on the sovereign will of the
Spirit (1 Cor. 12:11). Not so with apostleship. To qualify as an apostle one must be both
"an eye-and-ear-witness to the resurrection of Christ" and receive a personal commission
from Jesus himself (more on this below; see Acts 1:22-26; 1 Cor. 9:1-2; 15:7-9; cf. also Gal.
1:1; Rom. 1:1,5; 1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1). Thus, unlike the charismata, only a select few who
met specific conditions could evenbe considered as possible apostles.

12. 3) Consider Paul's repeated exhortation to "earnestly desire the greater gifts" (1 Cor.
12:31; 14:1,12). The charismata are to be desired and prayed for (1 Cor. 14:13). In fact, we
are especially to desire those gifts that are most effective in edifying the church (in this
regard, see especially 1 Cor. 14:12). Most scholars believe the list in 1 Cor. 12:28-29, at the
top of which is apostleship, is prioritized according to this principle. But if apostleship is a
gift, like prophecy or teaching, Paul would be in the awkward position of encouraging all
Christians to desire, above all else, that they might be apostles! Yet, as noted above, this is
not something that could be prayed for or desired or in any sense sought after. Either you
are an eye-and-ear-witness of Christ's resurrection or you are not. Either you have
received a personal commission from Jesus or you have not.
In a word, whereas apostles themselves certainly received charismata such as the ability to
prophesy, to heal, to show mercy, etc., apostleship per se is not a charisma. Apostleship is
not an enabling power; it is an ecclesiastical position."
by Watchman Nee
More excerpts from this title...
THE MEANING OF APOSTLESHIP
Since the meaning of the word “apostle” is “the sent one,” the meaning of apostleship is
quite plain, that is, the office of the sent one. Apostles are not primarily men of special gifts;
they are men of special commission. Everyone who is sent of God is an apostle. Many called
of God are not as gifted as Paul, but if they have received a commission from God, they are
just as truly apostles as he was. The apostles were gifted men, but their apostleship was not
based upon their gifts; it was based upon their commission. Of course, God will not send
anyone who is unequipped, but equipment does not constitute apostleship. If God cared to
send out a man totally unequipped, that man would be as much an apostle as a fully
equipped one, since apostleship is not based on human qualification but on divine
commission. It is futile for anyone to assume the office of an apostle simply because he
thinks he has the needed gifts or ability. It takes more than mere gift and ability to
constitute men apostles; it takes nothing less than God Himself, God’s will, and God’s call.
No man can attain to apostleship through natural or other qualifications; God must make
him an apostle if he is everto be one. Whether or not a man is going to be of any spiritual
worth, and his work serve any spiritual end, depends upon the sending of God. “A man
sent of God” should be the main characteristic of our entering upon His service, and of all
our subsequent movements.

13. Let us turn to the Scriptures. In Luke 11:49 we read, “I will send to them prophets and
apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute.” From Genesis to Malachi we do
not come across anyone who was explicitly called an apostle; yet the men here referred to
as apostles lived between the time of Abel and Zachariah (v. 51). Therefore, it is clear that
evenin Old Testament times God had His apostles.
Our Lord said, “A slave is not greater than his master, nor the apostle [Greek] greater than
the one who sends him” (John 13:16). Here we have a definition of the term “apostle.” It
implies being sent out—that is all; and that is everything. However good human intention
may be, it can never take the place of divine commission. Today those who have been sent
out by the Lord to preach the gospel and to establish churches call themselves missionaries,
not apostles; but the word “missionary” means the very same thing as “apostle,” that is,
“the sent one.” It is the Latin form of the Greek equivalent, apostolos. Since the meaning of
the two words is exactly the same, I fail to see the reason why the true sent ones of today
prefer to call themselves missionaries rather than apostles.
APOSTLES AND THE MINISTRY
“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Therefore the Scripture says, ‘Having ascended to the height, He led captive those taken
captive and gave gifts to men.’ (Now this, ‘He ascended,’ what is it except that He also
descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended, He is also the One who
ascended far above all the heavens that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave
some1 as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds
and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the
building up of the Body of Christ, until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the
full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:7-13).
There are many ministries connected with the service of God, but He has chosen a number
of men for a special ministry—the ministry of the Word for the building up of the Body of
Christ. Since that ministry is different from others, we refer to it as “the ministry.” This
ministry is entrusted to a group of people of whom the apostles are chief. It is neither a one-
man ministry, nor an “all-men” ministry, but a ministry based upon the gifts of the Holy
Spirit and an experimental knowledge of the Lord.
Apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers are our Lord’s gifts to His
Church to serve in the ministry. Strictly speaking, shepherds and teachers are one gift, not
two, because teaching and shepherding are closely related. In enumerating the gifts,
apostles, prophets, and evangelists are all mentioned separately, while shepherds and
teachers are linked together. Furthermore, the first three are each prefixed by the word
“some,” whereas the word “some” is attached to shepherds and teachers unitedly, thus—

14. “some as apostles,” “some as prophets,” “some as evangelists,” and “some as shepherds
and teachers,” not “some as shepherds and some as teachers.” The fact that the word
“some” is used only four times in this list indicates that there are only four classes of
persons in question. Shepherds and teachers are two in one.
(The Normal Christian Church Life, Chapter 1, by Watchman Nee)
Gift of Apostleship in the Marketplace
Published by Darren Shearer
The gift of apostleship is the special ability to spread the awareness of God’s glory by
starting new ministries and demonstrating spiritual authority in a particular sphere of
influence.
Those with the gift of apostleship in the marketplace are usually the first to recognize the
need to organize, train, and equip Christians for ministry in the marketplace. Upon the
prompting of the Holy Spirit, they are the ones who initiate marketplace ministry
movements within their own spheres of influence. They are the ones to whom other
ministry leaders look to for leadership in new and unfamiliar ministry environments.
The marketplace ministry of those with the gift of apostleship usually is characterized by
the theme of “spiritual authority.” They often aim to be like Joseph, Daniel, Esther, and
other biblical heroes God promoted to high levels of influence in the world’s institutions.
Gift Recognition Statements
“I have started multiple new ministries.”

15. “Ministry leaders look to me for guidance.”
“God tends to place me before influential people to represent him and his Kingdom.”
Marketplace Impact
Lance Wallnau, founder of LanceLearning.org, has the gift of apostleship. He mobilizes
Christians to exercise their God-given authority to transform the culture around them. He
teaches Christians to walk in the dominion of Jesus and ascend the “Mountain of Business”
for the glory of God, one of the “SevenMountains” of cultural influence. Lance believes
that “unprecedented economic, political, and social shaking will create extraordinary
opportunities for leaders willing to climb to the top of their mountain, leverage the
platform God has given them, and advance kingdom interests.”[i] He helps people to “find
clarity in their assignment, develop mastery in their field, step into convergence, and
function within their passion.”[ii] This is the language and behavior of those with the gift of
apostleship.
Biblical Insights
Acts 15:22-35
1 Corinthians 12:28
2 Corinthians 12:12
Galatians 2:7-10
Ephesians 4:11-14
[i] http://lancewallnau.com/about/
[ii] Ibid.
Discussion: Do you have the gift of apostleship? If so, please share how you have used this
gift in a business setting. Can you think of any other marketplace Christians who have used
this gift in a business setting? If so, please share his/her story to encourage other
marketplace Christians who have this gift.
Darren Shearer
Darren Shearer is the host of the Theology of Business Podcast and director of the
Theology of Business Institute. He is the author of "The Marketplace Christian: A
Practical Guide to Using Your Spiritual Gifts in Business" and "Marketing Like Jesus: 25
Strategies to Change the World." Darren is also the founder and CEO of High Bridge
Books (www.HighBridgeBooks.com), which provides professional book publishing services
for inspiring thought leaders."

16. The Gift of Apostleship
Posted by Whiting
on
21 Apr 2019
Mention the word apostle, and you may send people scattering in many directions! Without
delving into the differing ideas on today’s use of the word, let us consider that there is a
usage of the word “apostle” in the historical sense, and there is a gift of “apostleship” that
is still alive and active today. One useful definition of apostleship describes how this gift
compels its carrier to unfamiliar people and perhaps unfamiliar places. A missionary
would be one of many people we would expect to have a measure of this gift. While we may
perceive that God sends some people to places far away from where we are, we should not
seemsurprised if He sends us to someone, evensomeone much closer than we think!
God is a sending God. The Father sent the Son. The Son sent the Holy Spirit. The Lord sent
the disciples out to tell the world the good news of Him. Since an apostle is a “person who is
sent”, we likely have images of how God needs to send someone “over here” or “over
there”. What would we do if we found out “we” were the “someone” the Lord wants to
send?
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore,
to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Jesus
Mark Driscoll describes people with the gift of apostleship as being able to cross cultural
barriers to share the good news. From their soil, new churches sprout. New leaders are
created. New birth and growth occurs as people express this gift!"
The Gift of Apostleship Rev. Thomas Tyree, Jr.
The first of the nine temporary spiritual gifts was the gift of apostleship. Only 12 men had
it. This gift conveyed absolute authority over all the local churches. When the 12 apostles
died, the temporary gift of apostleship died with them. This was a spiritual gift of absolute
authority, evidently over all of the local churches extant during the apostleship period. It

17. began with the start of the Church Age in 30 A.D. and continued until the completion of
this period in 100 A.D.
This is not to be confused with pastor and minister who is a teaching pastor and has
authority delegated by the Scripture over one local church. No pastor can tell another
pastor how he ought to run his church. Every pastor has delegated authority and is
responsible and accountable to their own congregation. Local churches exist in a
constitutional and congregational form of government. They are self-governing, self-
propagating, self-supporting and they "call" a pastor. He then exercises authority given
him by the Word of God. This is not to be a tyrannical or dictatorial type of authority, but
established on the basis of virtue love toward the entire congregation. That same principle
applied to the apostles. There were 12 apostles to Israel and the Church. Judas Iscariot was
replaced by the apostle Paul as one of the 12.
The temporary gift of apostleship died with the apostle John. After his death, there were no
more apostles. John is the last of the apostles and died sometime between 96 and 100 A.D.,
probably right around 98 or 99 A.D. The Book of the Revelation was given by the Lord
Jesus Christ (the Patmos vision and the vision in Rome) to John on the Isle of Patmos. He
was getting all of the information relating to the contents of the Book of the Revelation, and
that took place in 96 A.D. He then was releasedfrom his banishment to the isle of Patmos
and returned to Asia Minor. John probably returned to the area of Ephesus as there was a
heretic by the name of Cerrinthus making inroads with his false doctrine in the Church of
Ephesus and he had to contend with that. Later on, a group of apostates became carried
away in their false doctrine, emotional behavior, and demon doctrine such that they took
John and boiled him in oil. John survived this attempted murder. They couldn't kill him.
This is a great example that you are not going to die until it's God's time for you to die.
When he finally did die, he was the last apostle and it was the end of the gift of apostleship.
If God wanted apostolic successionthroughout the Church Age, He would have made it
very clear through His Word that this was a permanent spiritual gift. He did not. The New
Testament says nothing about the gift of apostleship going beyond the 12 apostles. When
they died, that gift died with them. The gift of apostleship was the third temporary spiritual
gift to be removed. The gift of apostleship was absolute authority over all the local churches
in the Pre-canon period of the Church Age. Now, that type of authority is delegated to the
minister of the local church by the Word of God and is resident in the pastor of one church.
The pastor has this authority, but no pastor has the right to tell another local church how
they should operate. Every local church is autonomous, which means self-governing, self-
propagating and self-supporting."

18. The Gift of Apostle (2)
A gifted story: Mary's circle of friends had been a great source of enjoyment until they
began experimenting with drugs. She knew that she did not want to become involved with
drugs, but her friends told her she had to take one of the substances or no longer be a part
of the group. Mary refused, and instead she stood up and proclaimed her faith in front of
her friends. She lost many of her friends and went through a very lonely period after that,
but in her heart she felt sorry for her friends and knew her intent was to try and help them.
Mary possesses the gift of apostle-- she can see what others cannot see and she is able to
take a stand in the midst of an adverse situation.
Biblical references:
1 Cor. 12:28 - In the church God has put all in place: in the first place apostles, in the
second place prophets, and in the third place teachers; then those who perform miracles,
followed by those who are given the power to heal or to help others or to direct them or to
speak in strange tongues.
Romans 1:14- 16 - For I have an obligation to all peoples, to the civilized and to the savage,
to the educated and to the ignorant. So then, I am eagerto preach the Good News to you
who live in Rome.
See also Acts 20:17-21 - (Paul’s description of how he conducted himself in Ephesus and his
plans to be obedient to God and go to Jerusalem).
Acts 14: 21-23 - (The activities of Paul and Barnabas in Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, Antioch,
and Pisidia).
Definition and comment:
The gift of Apostle: the special ability that God gives to certain members of the body of
Christ which enables them to assume and exercise helpful leadership over a number of
churches in spiritual matters which is spontaneously recognized and appreciated by those
churches. It is also regarded as a gift that gives the believer the courage and the urgency to

19. express faith in settings where the Gospel is rarely heard. Apostles have a special calling -
they are selectedby Christ and sent out with a unique commission and divine credentials to
act and speak authoritatively on his behalf. These people are called to lead, inspire and
develop the Churches of God by the proclamation and the teaching of true doctrine.
Although some believe that this gift was given only to the original 12 men who had been
with the Lord from the time of John’s baptism until his ascension, there is wide acceptance
that Paul too was considered an “apostle.” It is interesting to note that Paul refers to
himself as an apostle that was “abnormally born” (1 Cor. 15:7-8). However he may have
felt about the receipt of this spiritual gift, he clearly accepted it, and his ministry was
characterized as one of church building. In many ways Paul was the first practical
theologian, the one who began to lay down rules for church members to follow. The fact
that God chose Paul for this task is all the evidence we need that the gift of apostleship did
not die with the original 12 apostles.
Many others were called “apostles” in the New testament: James, the Lord’s brother (Gal.
1:19); Barnabas (Acts 14:4,14); Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:25); Silas and Timothy (1 Thess. 1:1,
2:6); Andronicus and Junia (Rom. 16:7). A number of other references are made to the
“other brothers” who are clearly acting as apostles in various passages in both letters to the
Corinthians.
A person given the gift of apostle will feel an urgency to be a builder of churches for Christ
and will most likely be drawn to the ordained ministry, but the building of churches is not
the exclusive domain of ordained clergy. Anyone exercising this gift will be involved in
starting and strengthening churches or in reaching out to those who may have little other
access to the Gospel.
Affirm that you have this gift; questions to ask yourself:
Do you have a sense that Christ has called you to build up his church?
Is there within you an urgency to take the Gospel to settings where it is rarely heard?
Are you compelled to find new ways of communicating God’s love to people that have not
been reached by traditional means?

20. Do you feel that God is sending you out on a mission to reach a people in need of hearing
the Gospel?
Areas for study and personal growth:
The roots of the word “apostle” reveal the full meaning of this gift: “stello” means “to
send” and “apo” means “off from;” thus an apostle is sent off someplace to speak for
Christ. A good place to begin understanding how this gift might be applied in your life
might be to contemplate just where God might be urging you to go - in the language of the
Shepherd, what sheepto feed. Prayer will be the chief means for this enlightenment.
Any call into the ordained ministry will need to be met with consideration for theological
training in a seminary or in a special instructional program (such as a lay ministry course
or AIM curriculum).
Read and study about the structure of the church and learn about the dynamics within
congregations to better understand what is involved in building and growing a healthy
body of Christ.
Look for ways to improve your ability to express your faith. You will need to tell both the
Gospel story as it is found in scripture and your own Gospel story, witnessing to Christ in
your own life. Listen to audio and video accounts by other Gospel storytellers, not in an
effort to copy their style, but to sense their passion and build courage watching their joy in
delivering the message. Your own story, in your own style, delivered from the heart will
become God’s vehicle from within to reach those he wants to touch.
Seek out and speak with others with the gift of apostleship, hear their sensitivities as to
where the Gospel needs to be taken, and then learn more about the needs that surface so
that you will be better prepared to address them.
General ways to use the gift of apostleship:
Within the church: deliver Temple Talks, testimonials, and sermons (see more specific
church service opportunities in the Booklet Channels for Using the Gifts).
Within the wider community: take the Gospel message to those who cannot come to church
- the sick, the lonely and those in prison
For reflection:
The gift of apostleship is really about being creative in taking the Gospel message where it
would not be otherwise be heard. No one did this better than the Apostle Paul, and he is the
one to look at to best understand how this gift should be employed. Paul found ways to

21. reach everybody; highly educated, he spoke to people in their own tongue - he knew the
best way to reach a person is at their own level. He also trusted greatly in the Lord in all he
did, and he recognized his own weakness but was not afraid of it, because the message he
was giving out was God’s message, and he knew God would work through him effectively
because of his willing heart.
Indeed, one of the great ironies is that God chose Paul to build up his church. Paul, who
had persecuted so many Christians, seemedan unlikely candidate for such an important
task. But God loves to rise up the weak to his purposes. Christ chose basically illiterate
fisherman to spread the good news, evena despised tax collector. These early apostles were
not superhuman people, but ordinary people whom God chose to give supernatural gifts to
equip them for his purposes. But what an honor to be thus chosen for such a remarkable
and world-changing purpose. Today’s Christians with the gift of apostleship have a similar
honor of working to change the world for Christ. Clearly it is a job that needs to be done.
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The Gift of Apostleship
by St. John Studies
“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying
to God. When morning came He called his disciples to Him and chose twelve of them,
whom he also designated apostles.” [Luke 6: 12-13]
“Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the
Father.” [Galatians 1:1]

22. The twelve men that Jesus picked out did indeed have special gifts. Often we refer to them
as the twelve Disciples. But were they also apostles? Paul is referred to as an apostle but is
he a Disciple?
Here is the short answer: an apostle is a Christian who is sent to deliver or spread
teachings to others. That is that person’s spiritual gift. However, the word “apostle” has
two meanings, the larger meaning of being a messengerfor Christ and the narrow meaning
to denote the twelve people directly linked to Jesus Christ. We can say that all of the twelve
Apostles were Disciples but not all apostles are disciples. The “office” of apostle was held
by each of the twelve disciples.
Billy Graham cites theologian John R.W. Stott to try to clear this up. He says that the word
apostle is used three ways in the New Testament. Christians are sent into the world by
Jesus Christ. What all Christians should have in common with others is the “apostolic
mission” of the church; we are all supposed to be sent into the world as Christ’s
messengers. In John 17: 18 and John 20: 21, Jesus says he is sending us into the world as
His Father sent Him into the world. Twice in the New Testament the word apostle is used
to refer to messengers who were sent on particular errands from one church to another [2
Corinthians 8:23 and Philippians 2: 25]. Of course the third way the word apostle is used is
in reference to the twelve men who were eyewitnesses to the ministry of Jesus. There have
been no more special people like those twelve; they held a unique position. These twelve
apostles 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.
What exactly would be the role of an apostle outside that of the original 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. Often missionaries
fulfill their gift in foreign lands.
Some Christians have that spiritual gift today; certainly not all Christians have it.
Graham says another version of apostle today can be the Christian who has the ability to
plant churches. These churches may not necessarily be in foreign lands and some would
argue that a missionary can be a church planter. People who can plant churches have a
message that they are sharing with others, are responsible for establishing a church and
have the ability to exercise authority in setting policies and enforcing them [Graham, 176].
In the town where I live, there are small churches that are beginning in a storefront
building. Church plants can evenbegin in someone’s private home.

23. Whether a person is a missionary or a church planter, this spiritual gift of course is special.
When someone has the ability to bridge cultural divides to share the Gospel or to establish
churches in challenging environments, this type of person has the gift of developing others
for Christ. They are leaders who can not only lead their church but they can also recruit
lead pastors and shepherds to run the church.
In my study of persuasive speaking, they are what I would call “influencers” or “opinion
leaders.” They can be entrepreneurial in their approach to ministry and they know how to
take risks and perform difficult tasks.
It boggles my mind to think that a Christian would have enough motivation to do this type
of work. I have never felt drawn to missionary work; I have never felt the need to start a
new church. Billy Graham was an evangelist but he did not have the spiritual gift of the
missionary or church planter. He did have a close friend who spent his whole life working
in the Caribbean going from one community to another to establish churches. He reported
that in his friend’s lifetime, he established fifty.
Graham says “There are hundred, and perhaps thousands of men and women of God
throughout the world today who are doing just that.” They have the gift of taking Christ’s
message to the lost. They have the ability to start a church in a storefront building.
We can say that all of the twelve Apostles were Disciples but not all apostles are like the
Disciples. Each of the twelve Apostles was a man who saw Jesus while He was here on this
earth. Therefore, if this is your strict definition, is not possible for a person to be an apostle
today. However, Graham thinks that apostleship is a spiritual gift and it is possible for a
person to have this gift today. It is clear that he has great respect for this work.
Even though I can’t do this type of work, I hope it is clear to you that I too have a great
deal of respect for people who do this work.
Not just the office of apostleship; not just the work of apostleship, but the spiritual gift of
apostleship …"
The Gift of Apostle is one of the supernatural spiritual gifts of leadership ministry to God's
people, Christ's Church (Eph.4:11-12).
See:
Who Replaced

24. Judas Iscariot?
Unfortunately,
it's distinctive character has been thoroughly confused by –
(1) association with the unique (unrepeatable) status of the 12-Foundation-Apostles at
Pentecost; and
(2) polluted by the widespread hierarchical view of Christian Church leadership.
The
supernatural Holy Spirit 'gift of apostle' however derives directly from the giving of the
Holy Spirit to all God's people at Pentecost in 30 AD/CE, in contrast to the pre-Pentecost
designation of twelve leaders among Christ's Jewish disciples as 'apostles' during His
ministry exclusively to the Jews.
'Koine'-Greek was the lingua franca of the Eastern Mediterranean and ancient Near East
throughout the Roman period.
The Jewish Sanhedrin sent out 'apostles' to the synagogues of the Diaspora, so the term
was understood before Jesus came.
The
term 'apostle' is the English equivalent of the Hellenistic/Common (Koine) Greek word
ἀπόστολος (apostolos), which essentially means an 'emissary'/'envoy'/'delegate'. (It means
more than 'messenger', for which the Greek used a different word).
This New
Testament term ἀπόστολος was not invented by Jesus. It was an existing term in use in His
time and was therefore used by Jesus (its Aramaic equivalent) and His early church
without it needing any explanation because its meaning was understood generally among
the people at that time.
Unfortunately, this term has been so depreciated in some circles today as to mean nothing
more than 'missionary', which is a term so broad that it has no direct relevance to its
special meaning in the Biblical context as supernatural leadership equipment given by the
Holy Spirit to Christ's Church in its beginning at Pentecost.

25. A
reliable clue (modern-prejudice-free) as to how this word was understood in Christian
circles at the beginning of Christian history, is its use in the Christian Didache (Διδαχή,
'Teaching'), which was a manual written for local churches, probably in the area of Syria
early in the second century AD. Although it's content contains a reaction to abuse of the
believers by some calling themselves 'apostles', it also gives a useful clue for us today when
it says –
"Let every apostle who comes to you [the Christian congregation] be received as the Lord,
but let him not stay more than one day, or if need be a second as well; but if he stay three
days, he is a false prophet."
Didache XI:4-5.
(emphasis mine)
Obviously the Apostle Paul stayed longer than this in the churches in which he ministered,
but, in spite of this Didache-over-reaction to abuse of the hospitality of Christian believers,
there is still a basic understanding here that the ministry of an apostle is a mobile or
traveling ministry. This is why the Word of God describes the relative function of the
'apostle' leadership gift as –
"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."
1 Corinthians 12:28.
This gift
is not the top of any hierarchical church organisation! It is only 'first' as a reference to
having widest/largest geographic scope of ministry, as being essentially mobile.
Unfortunately, due to the prestige of the first church apostles (not the Twelve, who are
unique and irreplaceable as eye-witnesses), claims of apostolic 'office' are often used to

26. enhance the top structure of church denominations, formal or otherwise. This is misleading
nonsense! The words 'first', 'second' and 'third' are degrees in geographic scope of ministry
and not a hierarchical pyramid of power.
But the
misrepresentation of this ministry gift has becomes worse than nonsense in some circles.
The fake so-called 'New Apostolic Reformation' of C Peter Wagner.
A Demonic Deception
Certain persons have elevatedthe status of those who call themselves 'apostles' to that of a
so-called world-wide government of the Christian Church as under a spiritual military
junta of 'generals'/'governors' appointed by the Spirit to rule over God's people. This
demonic deception is no less in its future harm than was the corruption of the pastoral
office in the local churches to that of a so-called shepherd-of-shepherds in an infallible
Roman Pope, with all the abuse of God's people which that produced.
These
misguided 'apostles', many associatedwith the modern Church Growth movement, have
declared that a new apostolic age began in 2001. Perhaps they forget that what began at
Pentecost has never ended. The Spirit of God has not changed. His gifts of grace to equip
God's precious purchased people are as real today as ever, no matter what misleading
teachings have clouded this issue.
Apostle is
really a beautiful supernatural gift of the Spirit which is first in the geographic scope of the
pastoral/leadership ministry of God's people in pushing the boundaries of outreach in this
world! The apostle has the widest scope or influence of ministry, moving among the
churches in correction and encouragement to this end, evenmore than any prophet (such
as Agabus) who would move intermittently as the Holy Spirit directed, whereas that of a
teacher was necessarily narrower in geographic scope for teaching-continuity in the local
pastoring ministry to a congregation.

27. As 'sent-ones', proven apostles are to be supported in prayer and giving until this Gospel of
Christ has reached all persons everywhere, for only then will the end come (Matt.24:14).
See: ... Not Until ...
Lastly,
in understanding the examples of apostleship in our New Testament, it is important to note
the Apostle John as a special example of a pre-Pentecost apostle to the Jews who did not
become an apostle to the Christian Church.
He was one of the unique Twelve, appointed to the twelve tribes of Israel as Jesus said
(Lk.22:30), and for this reason their number needed to be twelve on the Day of Pentecost
for their repeat offer of the Kingdom of God to Israel (the twelve tribes), but, after their
rejection of that offer in the stoning of Stephen, when James (one of that Twelve) was later
martyred, no one replaced him. That special group of the Twelve had ended forever.
Here John
is an example of the change at Pentecost.
He
was one of these Twelve at Pentecost, but after Pentecost and the final rejection of the
Messiahof God by the nation Israel, John's ministry does not continue as an apostle to
them. He is called a prophet in the Revelation, which is the Holy Spirit's different gift to the
Church in John which he became after Pentecost.
Whereas,
Peter had become an apostle to the Christian Church, just as Paul later, John's apostleship
had ended with the ending of the offer of the kingdom to Israel. Hence, there is no evidence
that John ever had a traveling ministry, such as Peter and Paul, as would have been
necessary of an apostle in the Church of Jesus.

28. Copyright © Lloyd Thomas 2008-2015. All Rights ReservedWorldwide.
Feel free to copy, as long as this full copyright notice is included.
BOB DEFFINBAUGH
Authentic Apostleship (2 Cor. 5:20 - 6:10)
Introduction
We received a phone call one Saturday afternoon from a young lady who said, “Mr.
Deffinbaugh, this is …” Because she pronounced my name correctly, I was sure I must
know her. She had lost the directions to our house and asked if I could give her and her
husband directions from where they were. After hanging up the phone, my wife Jeannette,
who had been standing nearby, askedwho was on the phone. I told her I couldn’t exactly
remember, and I really didn’t know who the young woman was. I had assumed she was one
of Jeannette’s tutoring students, or at least someone she knew. I really didn’t have a clue
who she was; I had just told her how to get to our house. Jeannette couldn’t think of who it
might be either. Our minds racing, we wondered, had we made an appointment for
counseling we had forgotten? Had we invited someone to dinner and forgotten it and them?
Was this all some terrible mistake, and someone we didn’t know was now on their way to
our house for dinner?
The couple arrived, in two cars, with out-of-state license plates. The young woman greeted
me warmly. Thinking to myself, “I must know who she is, but I don’t.” I finally swallowed
my pride and asked, “Do I know you?” A terrible look came over the young woman’s face
as she turned to her husband, realizing that she had made a most embarrassing mistake.
The young woman was the daughter of some friends from the past, but we had known her
only as an infant, not as a young married woman. She and her husband had just come to
town, having made arrangements to visit other friends for dinner and to spend the night
before coming to church the next day. They had forgotten they were to have dinner with
the other friends, so when they became lost and needed directions, they called us by
mistake. What a relief! I was not losing my mind after all. We had not made some terrible
mistake. Fortunately, it was a happy reunion, evenif we hadn’t planned on their arrival
that afternoon. We were delighted to renew our acquaintance.
Mistakenidentities are not always so humorous and enjoyable. The Corinthian church has
a very serious problem with mistaken identities. In the church at Corinth, there is a

29. problem of mistaken identity concerning spirituality. Some think they are spiritual because
they feel free to participate in pagan idol worship (chapters 8-10). Some think themselves
more spiritual than others because of the spiritual gifts they possess orbecause of the
public nature of their ministry (chapters 12-14). Some criticize and look down upon Paul
and his gospel, claiming they are genuine apostles when they are actually servants of Satan
(2 Corinthians 11).
In our text, Paul defends authentic apostleship by defining what it is. 2 Corinthians 5:20–
6:10 sets down those elements of authentic apostleship which distinguish it from the
counterfeit. In his earlier First Corinthian epistle, certain things made the apostles
distasteful, evenshameful, to some Corinthians (see chapter 4, verses 6-13). Paul now
returns to these “offensive elements,” to show that these very things authenticate true
apostles and set them apart from the false. Paul defends not just himself, but his fellow-
apostles as seenby his use of the plural pronoun (“we”), rather than the singular pronoun
(“I”).
My understanding of the structure and argument of this passage stems in part from an
observation concerning the expression, “we are ambassadors.” From the English
translation, one would expect that there are three words in the original text: the pronoun,
“we”; the verb, “are”; and the predicate nominative, “ambassadors.” Actually, the
expression reads, “we ambassador.” Ambassador is a verb, not a noun. As I interpret it,
this detail is important because it is the principle statement of the passage, and the others
are supportive. “Ambassadoring” entails: (1) begging lost men to be reconciled to God
(5:20-21); (2) urging saints not to receive the grace of God in vain (6:1-2); and (3) not
giving cause for offense, but commending oneself as a servant of God (6:3-10).
Viewing the structure of our passage in this way helps to explain the emphasis we find in
verses 3-10. The most lengthy portion of our text is all about the sufferings of Paul and his
colleagues in the gospel ministry. What does this have to do with the whole passage? If, as I
am contending, the main verb is “to ambassador,” then these three segments define what
ambassadoring is. Ambassadoring is about preaching the gospel to the lost, urging saints to
live according to the gospel, and suffering in a godly way for the cause of the gospel. Let us
proceed with our exposition based upon this assumption concerning the structure of our
text.
Ambassadors Beg Menon
Christ’s Behalf to Be Reconciled to God
(5:20-21)

30. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us;
we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to
be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
The “therefore” of verse 20 links these verses with what has just been written in the
preceding verses:
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and
gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the
world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us
the word of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
I wish to highlight two things Paul says in verses 18 and 19 in relationship to his words in
verse 20. First, I believe Paul speaks of the ministry of reconciliation as being given to the
apostles in particular, and only secondarily to all believers. The “word of reconciliation” is
the message of the gospel, as defined and declared by the apostles in their inspired and
authoritative writings (i.e., the New Testament) and in their preaching. This is why, when
they entreat men, begging them to be reconciled to God, they do so as though God were
speaking and entreating through them. Their word is God’s Word.
Second, I believe Paul defines here what he means by reconciliation. Reconciliation is the
restoration of lost sinners, alienated from a holy God, into fellowship and relationship with
Him, by faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection
in the sinner’s place. It is possible to speak and think of wayward sinners being reconciled
to God, but I do not think this is the sense in which it is used here. Indeed, the dominant
meaning of the term reconciliation is the reconciliation of lost sinners. Reconciliation here
is virtually synonymous with salvation.
I struggled with this conclusion, because it is clear in the context that the “you” in verse 20
refers to those in the church at Corinth. How can Paul beg people in the church to be
reconciled to God if reconciliation is the salvation of lost sinners? The answer is not nearly
as difficult as we might think. How can we possibly assume that every church member is
saved? More specifically, how can we assume that every Corinthian church member is
saved, especially in the light of the doctrinal and moral problems Paul has already exposed
in his letters to this church? Paul does not assume that everyone who attends church is
saved. He does not evenassume that everyone who professes to be savedis saved. Paul
assumes that in a church which has so many serious problems, it is likely that some who
gather with the saints are not saved.
He assumes, for example, that there may be visitors who are lost:
23 If therefore the whole church should assemble together and all speak in tongues, and
ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? 24 But if all

31. prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called
to account by all; 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and
worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you (1 Corinthians 14:23-25).
At the end of this epistle, he challenges the Corinthians to give serious thought as to
whether or not they are truly saved:
5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize
this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? (2
Corinthians 13:5).
And so, my friend, if the Apostle Paul can appeal to those who gather with the Corinthian
saints, begging them to be reconciled to God, is it not appropriate for me to urge you to be
savedas well? This should certainly not offend anyone who is truly born again (John
3:1ff.), but it should give pause for thought to any who might not be. Just being with
Christians does not make you a Christian. Even professing to be a Christian does not save
you. What saves you is trusting in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in
your place, for the punishment of your sins, and for the gift of God’s righteousness in
Christ. I beg of you, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Ambassadors Work With God to
Urge MenNot to Receive the Grace of God in Vain
(6:1-2)
1 And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in
vain—2 for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON
THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU”; behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE
TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION.”
I pass on, leaving behind the richness of verses 20-21 only because I have dealt with this
text in previous messages. If Paul’s words in verses 20 and 21 are spoken to the lost, his
first two verses of chapter 6 are addressed to those who are truly saved. These words are
Paul’s admonition and exhortation to those who truly have been reconciled to God by faith
in Jesus Christ. Once again, Paul speaks on behalf of God. He writes, “and working
together with Him …” In the context, I believe it is clear he means, once again, that when
he says these words to the Corinthians, he is speaking for God and with God (see also 1
Corinthians 3:9).42 Paul is not speaking alone; He is speaking for God, and he is also
speaking with the apostles. He writes, “we also urge you …” (6:1). Thus, all of the apostles
speak the same thing when they speak for God to men.
As authentic apostles urge unbelievers to be reconciled to God, they urge Christians “not to
receive the grace of God in vain.” The question, of course, is what Paul means when he

32. speaks of “receiving the grace of God in vain.” The expression, “in vain,” consistently
seems to refer to any actions taken which do not produce their intended result. This may be
one’s labor or ministry, which fails to produce the desired results (Isaiah 49:4; 1
Corinthians 15:58; Galatians 2:2; Philippians 2:16; 1 Thessalonians 3:5). It may evenbe
one’s suffering, which proves to be of no benefit (Galatians 3:4).
I believe Paul speaks here of the danger the Corinthian believers face of having started well
and then being led astray, so that their lives fall short of what the grace of God is designed
and provided to produce in them. Paul warns the Galatians of this very thing:
1 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was
publicly portrayed as crucified? 2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did
you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so
foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you
suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does He then, who provides you
with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing
with faith? (Galatians 3:1-5).
7 You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? (Galatians 5:7).
Here in Paul’s words to the Galatians is the same warning he sounds to the Corinthian
saints. Jewish legalists have crept in among the Corinthians, supposing their Jewishness
makes them superior to mere Gentiles who are in the faith. They advocate teachings and
practices which they claim are a part of the old covenant and which they wrongly suppose
are superior to the new. If the Corinthians buy this heresy, they will have been turned from
grace to law, and they will fail to reach the doctrinal and moral maturity for which God
made provision. Paul simply urges the Corinthians to press on toward the goal of their
salvation—by the same means as they were saved—by grace (see Philippians 3:1-16;
Colossians 2:1-23).
This is a very serious matter for Christians of all ages. All too often, Christians assume that
once they are savedthey have arrived. Salvation has three dimensions: past, present, and
future. Salvation is the starting point, and salvation has a final goal. Having been saved, we
must press on to maturity in Christ. We should not be like the Hebrews who became
stagnant in their faith:
11 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become
dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again
for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have
come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not
accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food is for the
mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil
(Hebrews 5:11-14).

33. Sinners are called to be reconciled to God, to be saved from their sins by faith in Jesus
Christ. Saints are called to obedience, to grow up to maturity in Christ. And this growth is
not done in isolation, but as a part of a body that is working together in unity and
harmony:
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some
as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the
building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs
to the fulness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossedhere and
there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by
craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all
aspects into Him, who is the head, evenChrist, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted
and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of
each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love
(Ephesians 4:11-16).
No wonder Paul is concerned about the Corinthians! They are divided into little
competitive cliques. Some are looking to their leaders or to their own gifts as a basis for
boasting over others. Those at Corinth who are lost need to be saved, and those who are
savedneed to grow up in unity to maturity. If they fail to do so, they have received the
grace of God in vain. They have been saved from their sins, but they have failed to reach
the goal of their salvation by grace. The apostles’ task is to call the lost to repentance, to be
reconciled to God. It is also their task to call believers to growth and maturity. And this is
what Paul and his fellow-apostles are continuing to do. Those who claim to be apostles and
do not do the same clearly are not authentic apostles.
Paul buttresses his appeal in verse 1 with a quotation from Isaiah in verse 2: “For He says,
‘AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF
SALVATION I HELPED YOU’; behold, now is ‘THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,’ behold,
now is ‘THE DAY OF SALVATION.’” Paul appeals to Christians in verse 1 not to receive
the grace of God in vain. He then quotes this text in Isaiah 49, verse 8. I believe we can only
grasp Paul’s understanding and use of verse 8 if we look at the broader context of the
chapter from which this is cited. Look especially at verse 4: “But I said, ‘I have toiled in
vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity; Yet surely the justice due to Me is
with the LORD, And My reward with My God’” (Isaiah 49:4, emphasis mine).
As I understand this chapter, an interchange takes place in the meaning of the term
“servant.” Sometimes, the “servant” is the nation Israel; at other times, it is the promised
Messiah. Jesus, the Messiah, is the “Servant” who fulfills what Israel could not and did not
fulfill as God’s “servant.” In verse 4, Israel protests that it has toiled “in vain” (the same
Greek term Paul uses in 2 Corinthians 6:2) and spent its strength for nothing, for vanity.

34. God speaks to disheartened Israel to assure her that her labors are not in vain. They are
not in vain because He is sending the Messiah, upon whom all of Israel’s hopes are pinned,
and through whom they are realized. God promises Israel that in “an acceptable time” and
in a “day of salvation” He will bring about their salvation. This “day” will be a day of
salvation for both Jews and Gentiles (see 49:1, 6-7, etc.).
That promised “day,” Paul says to the Corinthians, has come. The promised “Servant” is
the Lord Jesus Christ. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, God has fulfilled His
promise of salvation. That day has come. This means that all our labors, all our sufferings
are not in vain. They are certain. Why then should we become slack and undisciplined, so
that we receive the grace of God in vain by not striving toward the goal of our salvation?
The doubts and fears expressedby ancient Israelites, because the promised day was
distant, are not excusable, but they are understandable. However, for those upon whom the
ends of the ages have come in Christ (1 Corinthians 10:11), there is absolutely no excuse for
doubting the certainty of our future hope. Christ has come, the day of salvation is now. We
have every reason to labor diligently, knowing our labor and suffering are not in vain. We
have no reason to give up and every reason to press on in our relationship with Christ.
Ambassadors Give No Unnecessary Cause for Offense,
but Commend Themselves as Servants of God
(6:3-10)
3 Giving no cause for offense in anything, in order that the ministry be not discredited, 4
but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in
afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, 5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors,
in sleeplessness, inhunger, 6 in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy
Spirit, in genuine love, 7 in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of
righteousness for the right hand and the left, 8 by glory and dishonor, by evil report and
good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; 9 as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet
behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, 10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as
poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.
There are four major dimensions to Paul’s words in verses 3-10. First, Paul purposes to
give no cause for offense in anything. Second, he and his fellow-apostles are suffering
greatly as servants of God. Third, in the midst of all this, they are manifesting godly
character through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in them. Fourth, they are employing
godly means and methods. Let us pause to consider each of these four dimensions.
True Apostles Give No Offense in Anything

35. Paul tells us that he and the true apostles “give no cause for offense in anything, in order
that the ministry be not discredited” (verse 3). It is very important that we understand
what Paul does and does not say here. Paul does not say that he avoids offending
unbelievers altogether. Paul says, in effect, that he is scrupulous to avoid offending anyone
unnecessarily and in a way that adversely affects the gospel, which is the heart and soul of
their ministry. Paul has already told us that the message of the gospel is offensive to the
unbeliever:
22 For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ
crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are
the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God (1
Corinthians 1:22-24).
The gospel does not flatter lost men; it condemns them as guilty sinners. Men do not come
to faith through flattery and appeal to their egos; they come to faith in brokenness and
humility. Paul does not and will not change the gospel to make it more appealing to lost
sinners, and he strongly condemns anyone who does (see Galatians 1:6-10). Paul seeks to
avoid offending men by his conduct and lifestyle, setting aside anything which hinders the
gospel in any way. One of the best examples of Paul’s eagerness to avoid unnecessary
offense to the gospel is found in 1 Corinthians 9:
15 But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things that it may be
done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast
an empty one. 16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under
compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. 17 For if I do this voluntarily, I
have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. 18 What then
is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as
not to make full use of my right in the gospel. 19 For though I am free from all men, I have
made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more. 20 And to the Jews I became as a
Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law, though not
being myself under the Law, that I might win those who are under the Law; 21 to those
who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under
the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law. 22 To the weak I became
weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all
means save some. 23 And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a
fellow partaker of it (1 Corinthians 9:15-23).
In this chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul goes to great lengths to demonstrate his right to be
supported in ministry. In the verses just cited, Paul explains that while he has the right to
be supported in his ministry, he sets this right aside so there is no unnecessary hindrance to
his ministry. Some people then, as now, think that all preachers are in the ministry for the

36. money. They can hardly accuse Paul of this, because he labors with his own hands,
providing not only for his own needs but also for those of others:
5 For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—
God is witness—6 nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even
though as apostles of Christ we might have assertedour authority. 7 But we proved to be
gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. 8 Having thus
a fond affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God
but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. 9 For you recall, brethren,
our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you,
we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly
and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; 11 just as you know how
we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his
own children, 12 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into
His own kingdom and glory (1 Thessalonians 2:5-12; see also Acts 20:33-36).
What a contrast this is to the mindset and lifestyle of those who are false apostles. The false
apostles more than willingly modify the gospel so it will not give offense to fallen men (see 1
Corinthians 15:12; 2 Corinthians 2:17; 4:2; 11:1-4). They seemto be taken with themselves
and are far from humble. They advocate assertive leadership, not servant leadership. They
may be involved in some of the practices which evenoffend the pagans of their day (see 1
Corinthians 5:1). They do not seemto be the kind who surrender their rights as Paul and
others do, but may well be among those who insist on their rights, evenwhen their “rights”
are wrong (such as participating in pagan idol worship ceremonies—1 Corinthians 8-10).
The false prophets are “wolves” who feed on the sheep, while the true apostles are
shepherds, who protect, guide, and feedthe sheepat great personal sacrifice. Authentic
apostles seek to avoid any offense which hinders the gospel of Jesus Christ.
True Apostles Suffer for the Sake of the Gospel
We know that suffering was the rule for the Old Testament prophets: “Which one of the
prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who had previously
announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now
become” (Acts 7:52). Jesus made it very clear to His disciples that He would suffer, and so
would they:
21 From that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem,
and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be
raised up on the third day (Matthew 16:21; see also Luke 9:22; 24:26).
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you
were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I
chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I

37. said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also
persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keepyours also. 21 But all these things they
will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me” (John
15:18-21; see also Matthew 24:9).
False prophets have minimized sin and its consequences throughout biblical history, and
they have promised peace and prosperity to the wicked (Jeremiah 6:14; 8:11; 2 Peter 2:1-3;
3:3-7). When Jesus spoke to those who would follow Him, He made the cost of discipleship
very clear (see Luke 9:57-62), and so did the apostles (Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12). The
apostles know what it means to “take up their cross” in following Jesus. But the false
apostles are not interested in paying a price for following Christ, because they do not know
Him (see Jeremiah 23; John 10:10-13). They are motivated by greed and self-indulgence.
Thus, one of the ways of discerning an authentic apostle is to see how much he has suffered
for His Lord.
Before proceeding, it may be worth noting the structure Paul indicates and employs in
verses 4-10. Verses 4-7a contain the repeated term “in.” In verses 7b-8a, Paul employs the
term “by.” And finally, in verses 8b-10 Paul uses the form, “as … yet” There are then three
separate categories. The “in” list of verses 4-7a is a listing of the various forms of suffering
which Paul and his fellow-apostles have endured, as well as the godly character they
evidence in their adversity:
“In” much endurance: 43
in afflictions
in hardships (general trials)
in distress
in beatings
in imprisonments (persecution by men who oppose the gospel)
in tumults
in labors
in sleeplessness (self-imposed trials, from commitment to the task)
in hunger
“In” (godly character):
purity

38. knowledge
patience
kindness
the Holy Spirit
genuine love
the word of truth
the power of God
The “by” of verses 7b-8a enumerates the various means by which the gospel is proclaimed
and practiced by the apostles:
the weapons of righteousness, for right and left hand (offensive and defensive?)
glory and dishonor
evil report and good report
In the final structural device (“as … yet”), Paul describes the popular perception of the
apostles by unbelievers, contrasting it with the true perception of their standing and status
in Christ:44
PERCEPTION
REALITY
as deceivers
yet true
as unknown
yet known
as dying
yet behold we live
as punished
yet not put to death

39. as sorrowful
yet always rejoicing
as poor
yet making many rich
as having nothing
yet possessing all things
True Apostles Manifest the Character of Christ by the Way They Suffer
We have already seenthat authentic apostles are those who have suffered Christ’s rejection
and persecution, while the false apostles avoid suffering and persecution like the plague.
False apostles are intent upon experiencing the “good life” for themselves and using it as
bait for those whom they would lead astray. It is not enough for one just to suffer; an
authentic apostle (as well as an authentic Christian) must suffer for the right reasons, and
they must suffer in the right way. This is a point which Peter forcefully spells out in his first
epistle:
18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good
and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. 19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of
conscience toward God a man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20 For
what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience?
But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor
with God. 21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 WHO COMMITTED NO SIN,
NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; 23 and while being reviled, He did
not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to
Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that
we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For
you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and
Guardian of your souls (1 Peter 2:18-25).
The last part of Paul’s “in” list in verses 6 and 7 contains those qualities evidenced in their
sufferings, which mark the apostles out as those who are identified with Christ. They are
guided by the Word of God, enabled by the power of God, indwelt by the Spirit of God,
and characterized by the fruits of godliness: purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, and
love. How easily we justify our bad temper or our impatience in times of trial. God’s
authentic apostles manifest Christ-likeness in the midst of their adversities. They not only
bear His afflictions, they respond to them as He did.

40. Authentic Apostles Employ Godly Means and Methods
The false apostles are gospel hucksters (2 Corinthians 2:17; 4:2). They modify the gospel to
make it look good to men. They want to “sell” the gospel, appealing to the fleshly motives of
men and, in the process, satisfy their own lusts. They try to make their “product” look good
by making themselves look good. Authentic apostles refuse to dilute or modify the gospel
message. They know that Christ crucified is not a popular message, but they rely upon the
power of the Holy Spirit to convince and convert men (see 1 Corinthians 1:18–2:16). Thus,
in using the term “by” in verses 7b and 8, Paul speaks of the means God employs in
defining and declaring the gospel through His authentic apostles. Here are the means God
works through His authentic apostles:
by the weapons of righteousness,45 for right and left hand (offensive and defensive?)
by glory and dishonor
by evil report and good report
The weapons authentic apostles employ are the “weapons of righteousness.” They are not
like those of the false apostles:
1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we receivedmercy, we do not lose heart, 2 but
we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or
adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to
every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And evenif our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to
those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the
unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the
image of God (2 Corinthians 4:1-4).
The false apostles love glory. They boast in it. At times, God did manifest His glory through
His apostles as a testimony that they were authentic:
12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs
and wonders and miracles (2 Corinthians 12:12).
1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift
away from it. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every
transgression and disobedience receiveda just recompense, 3 how shall we escape if we
neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was
confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also bearing witness with them, both by signs
and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own
will (Hebrews 2:1-4).

41. But God also used His authentic apostles in situations which are far from glorious.
Stephen’s stoning was far from glorious, but it brought about greater evangelism (Acts 8:1)
and eventually the conversion of Saul (Acts 8:1-3; 9:1ff.). Paul’s imprisonment was used by
his opponents who claimed that by this he was disapproved and should not be taken
seriously; yet his imprisonment actually furthered the gospel (Philippians 1:12-18). Paul’s
imprisonment led to the conversion of many in the household of Caesar (Philippians 4:22).
It was in his imprisonment that Paul spent much time in prayer for the saints and in
writing his epistles to them, some of which we now study as the very Word of God!
Authentic apostles are not those who always seemto succeedor who have men’s approval;
they are those who are faithful to the God who uses them in their honor and dishonor, for
the sake of Christ.
Conclusion
The line between authentic and counterfeit apostleship is being drawn, leading up to Paul’s
climactic conclusion in chapters 11-13. The Corinthian cliques, which Paul first mentions
in 1 Corinthians 1, are being led (at least in part) by men who employ fleshly methods, who
appeal to human reason and motives, and who distort and dilute the gospel to gain a
following. At the same time, they look down upon Paul and his associates and ridicule his
gospel as simplistic and offensive. They belittle Paul and the other apostles because they are
not highly esteemedin the world. In fact, they are rejected and persecuted. Authentic
apostles have none of the outward appearances of the counterfeit apostles. Paul outlines in
1 Corinthians 4 the things which he suffered, for which some of the Corinthians look down
upon him:
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your
sakes, that in us you might learn not to exceedwhat is written, in order that no one of you
might become arrogant in behalf of one against the other. 7 For who regards you as
superior? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do
you boast as if you had not received it? 8 You are already filled, you have already become
rich, you have become kings without us; and I would indeed that you had become kings so
that we also might reign with you. 9 For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all,
as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to
angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are
weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. 11 To this
present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly
treated, and are homeless; 12 and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are
reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; 13 when we are slandered, we try to
conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, evenuntil now
(1 Corinthians 4:6-13).

42. Now, in 2 Corinthians 6, Paul raises these matters for which he is judged the “scum of the
world, the dregs of all things.” These sufferings, trials, and tribulations of the Apostle Paul
are now claimed as proof of the authenticity of his apostleship and that of his colleagues.
Paul completely turns the tables on his opponents.
Is it not the same today? How do many professing Christians judge the authenticity of
God’s servants, of the men (and women), of their message, and their methods? All too
often, we judge on external standards, the very same standards employed by the world. Let
us adopt the same standards Paul sets down, not only for those whom we will follow as our
leaders, but as the standard for our own lives as well. Here in this text we learn not only
what distinguishes an authentic apostle, but also that which distinguishes an authentic
Christian. Let us live according to the standard of authenticity God Himself sets down for
us through His apostle, Paul.
42 I hasten to say that the idea of “working together with his apostolic colleagues” is not
foreign to what Paul is saying either.
43 One finds an evenmore complete but parallel listing of the apostles’ afflictions in 2
Corinthians 11:23-27. It should also be noted that many of these afflictions are not
recorded in Acts, which describes only the “tip of the iceberg” of the apostles’ afflictions.
44 These two columns could be applied to our Lord, as well as to His apostles.
45 See Ephesians 6:10-20.
RelatedTopics: False Teachers
A SPEAKING GIFT THE GIFT OF APOSTLESHIP- faithbaptistwestfield.com
Text I Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11
EXPLANATION
WHAT WAS INVOLVED IN THIS GIFT?
A. This gift was the original missionary gift. The word apostle means someone sent. It
involved the Lord calling certain individuals, commissioning them, and confirming their
ministry (Matt. 10:1,5,8).