Bible Question:
"By the will of God" - Paul was not a self-made apostle; he did not usurp this high and holy office independently. His office and message was not his choice but God's. The reason why the Ephesian epistle has authority is because it came from God through His selected Apostle. One tend to say that apostolic succession is erroneous. This apostles were the foundation builders of the Church (Ephesians 2:20). In my opinion, the foundation of this Church has been laid; thus, my question is are there NO more apostles today or has the apostolic office ceased? Positive criticism as regards this question from any honourable bible students is welcome. Ekanem Eduwem |
Bible Answer: In an article: "What Is An Apostle?" Dan Gallagher writes: "In Chapter 4 of Ephesians, Paul lists what have been called the five “ascension” or “gift” ministries. The first ministry listed is that of an apostle, followed by the other ministries of prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Paul goes on to tell us that Jesus has given these ministries to the Church to prepare God’s people for works of service and to build up the Body of Christ. He states that these ministries are here “until we all reach unity in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13b).” Because these functions have not yet been completed, it is logical to conclude that we should still see all five ministries present and functioning in the Church. It is not sound thinking to recognize the value of four of the gift ministries (prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers) but fail to acknowledge the Church’s need for apostles. I believe that a large portion of the problem lies with the fact that we do not really know what an apostle is; after all, it is hardly a word we use in our everyday vocabulary." "The apostle’s central purpose is to be a spiritual builder. His charge is to build community, which he does by bringing unity and balance to the mix. Paul says: “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love…” (Col. 2:2). This is a community agenda. With all of the ministries demonstrating specialized aspects of Christ’s own character, the apostle represents the Lord’s heart to keep them balanced, working together to build spiritual communities." "Apostles move beyond planting and go into the building stages. One of the ways they do this is by bringing focus and purpose to the community of believers. Paul’s writings never stray far from his purpose, which was to encourage the saints’ hearts, uniting them in love with a view toward his ultimate goal that they would have complete experiential understanding concerning the Secret. In fact, Paul mentions an aspect of the Secret in every one of the Church Epistles. His entire life focused around the Secret, and all of his various purpose statements reinforced his vision. Like Paul, apostles must never lose their focus on unity in the one Body; it is their very purpose." |
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