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NASB | Ephesians 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the [chief] Cornerstone, |
Subject: The foundation of the church |
Bible Note: The book of Acts is the beginning of the church. As with the parable of the mustard seed that grew into a big tree and flourished the kingdom DOES NOT DIMINISH. Look at the church today, instead of advancing from the book of Acts it has diminished. With all due respect sir/madam the church that I witness today has in no way surpassed Acts (as the seed of the church). We cannot ignore the division within the church nor can we ignore our doctrinal differences which, if it continues will never lead to the unity of the faith. But thank God He will not allow that for His word is true - there will be the unity of the faith. Since the dark ages He began to restore truth to His church beginning in the 1500's with Martin Luther (which I believe operated in an apostolic frequency breaking patterns of erroneos religiosity as did the early apostles in the midst of the Pharisees)proclaiming justification by faith in the midst of opposing doctrine that existed in his time. Similarly God has used other moves such as the Holiness/Evangelical, Pentecostal, Latter Rain, Charismatic moves to restore foundational truths to the church as was present in the book of Acts so that we can grow unto perfection/completion (i.e. without spot or wrinkle). With reference to apostles - the issue is not in the name APOSTLE but in the function of the office. You said "An apostle was a witness of the resurrected Christ". Yet Paul never met Jesus Christ in the physical sense as did the twelve. Jesus presented Himself to Paul on the Damascus road and spoke to him throughout his ministry truths that were never before revealed. I believe that this is a principle that we as believers must ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us - the relevance of God choosing someone outside of 'the twelve' to play such a significant role as an apostle to the church. Looking forward to continued conversations and hearing your views on the matter. |