A Continuation of Excerpts from the Book “Truly the Signs of An Apostle”
This special group lost one of the original members whose name most of us are familiar with — Judas Iscariot. That reduced The Twelve to eleven. Yet a replacement was chosen to maintain this designated group – “The Twelve”.
In Acts 1:15-26 we see the selection process that replaced Judas and reaffirmed the special designation of these Twelve. Peter explains that Judas’ replacement needed to meet certain criteria. The disciple selected needed to have been a personal witness of the earthly life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. He should have been with the Lord Jesus during His earthly ministry along with the other eleven Apostles from the time Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist until His resurrection.
So, it is pretty clear that The Twelve were distinctive from generic apostles and had a novel relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. This was demonstrated in the initial selection by the Lord Jesus and affirmed later in the selection of a replacement for Judas.
The Twelve Elevated
These Twelve have a level of importance in the Scripture that is often underestimated. For example, it is evident that Jesus Christ endowed these men with special abilities. He also gave them special authority and promised that The Twelve are going to rule over the tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:30)
It is obvious that the Twelve Apostles had special significance to the Lord and were given special honor. These men were especially chosen by the Lord Jesus for a special role in the foundation of the church. (Ephesians 2:20) As such, they should be highly regarded.
However, a word of caution is in order at this point. Though these men should be highly respected, nowhere in Scripture do we see anyone ever praying to them, venerating them or directing petitions to them. We do not witness, either before or after they died, any sort of deference to them that might even remotely be considered worship. That kind of adoration is reserved for Deity alone. God is the only One Who is to be prayed to, petitioned, meditated upon or adored.
The believers in the early church, including the Twelve Apostles, were sinners saved by the grace of God, just like any other believer who places their faith and trust in Christ today. The apostles, whether generic or special, had a profound sense of their own unworthiness. In fact, when folks tried to direct worship toward them, their reaction was intense against such behavior. (Acts 14:14-15)
They certainly deserve our respect as the caretakers of the early church and as those endowed with a special commission from the Savior! Next we shall discuss the special promise they received from the Lord Jesus Christ.
(c) 2011, Frank I. Snyder, “Truly the Signs of An Apostle”
Learn MorePart Two in a Series Taken from the Book “Truly the Signs of an Apostle”. (See Links)
We are going apostle hunting! Why are we doing this? Because there is, at times, some confusion among believers about apostles. There are different types of apostles spoken about in God’s Word. Suffice to say at this point, that the word apostle is used in a general sense and in a specific sense. We might say there are apostles with a small case “a” and then there are Apostles with a capital “A”.
Generic apostles (apostles with a small “a”)
The word “apostolos” in the Greek language, means “one that is sent on a mission” or, more generally “messenger”. Generally, the word “apostle” could apply to anyone sent on a mission. There were apostles in this general sense in the New Testament church. There were people called apostles who were not of those that we would typically think of as one of the Twelve Apostles. In this sense, the word “apostle” is used loosely.
Those who traveled with or associated with the Twelve Apostles were at times called apostles. Barnabas, though not one of the Twelve Apostles, was referred to as an apostle. The context and implication of Acts 14:4 is that Barnabas was looked upon as an apostle by association with the message of the apostles. At Lystra, the populace tried to offer a sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas and the Scripture records: “Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out…”(Acts 14:14)
Paul refers to Titus and several of his co-workers as messengers (apostoloi) to the churches. “Whether any do enquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellow helper concerning you: or our brethren be enquired of, they are the messengers (apostoloi) of the churches, and the glory of Christ. (II Cor. 8:23)
Paul refers to his first encounters with apostles shortly after his conversion and refers to James, the Lord’s brother as an apostle: “But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.” (Galatians 1:19)
Neither Barnabas, Titus, or James were of the Twelve Apostles and yet all are referred to as such. So it is apparent that the term “apostle” was used in a general sense of special associates of those we know as the Twelve Apostles. They were messengers of and to the churches. However, it is also apparent that these were apostles in a generic sense and not part of or on a par with those referred to as the Twelve Apostles. They were associates of The Twelve. As such, they were distinct from those who were specially chosen and empowered by the Lord for unique ministry.
The Designated Dozen
The word “apostle” carries with it a special meaning when it is applied to those who became known as “The Twelve.” Although at various times “The Twelve” had eleven or thirteen, they were still called “The Twelve”. It was as if it were a team name such as the “Detroit Pistons” or the “Pittsburgh Steelers”. These special apostles were known as “The Twelve.” Whenever “The Twelve” were mentioned, everyone knew who was being talked about.
These Twelve Apostles were especially chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ from among those who followed Him.
“And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;…” (Luke 6:12-13)
”And he ordained twelve, that they should be withhim, and that he might send them forth to preach,…” (Mark 3:14)
These specially selected individuals became known as “The Twelve”. They are referred to in many places in Scripture such as: Mark 10:32, Mark 14:17, John 6:67, John 20:24, Acts 6:2, I Corinthians 15:5.
“The Twelve” was as much a designation as a number, meaning that these were people who were uniquely chosen to represent the Savior. The Twelve Apostles were distinctive, select individuals that had a singular relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew’s gospel tells us (Mt. 10:2-4) that the names of these twelve original apostles were: Simon Peter, Andrew, James [the son] of Zebedee, John [the son] of Zebedee , Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas (also called Didymus), Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus,, Thaddaeus (also called Lebbaeus), Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot.
These were considered the Lord’s main men.
(c) 2011, Frank I. Snyder, in Truly the Signs of An Apostle
Learn MoreThe information in this post was taken from the first chapter of my book Truly the Signs of an Apostle. The book is available at www.CreateSpace.com/3600280 and Amazon.com.
The importance of taking an honest look at a serious subject:
Does It Take Getting Hit On the Head?
Many years ago an acquaintance related how he and some others were in the backyard of a fellow charismatic believer.Several folks had gathered there to worship. During the course of the activities a lady in the group experienced what is sometimes called being “slain in the Spirit” and fell backward. Unknown to her and to the other worshipers, there was a rock hidden in the grass. When she swooned under the “anointing” the woman tumbled backward, her head hitting the heretofore undisclosed rock. The result was a nasty gash requiring medical treatment. There was also a substantial amount of blood!
The impact of the incident, especially the blood, was not lost upon my acquaintance’s young son who witnessed the event. “Daddy, why did God make that woman fall down and hit her head on a rock?” It was an innocent question of a little boy. But it was the first time his father had taken an objective look at what he was involved in.
Was this of God? It was a legitimate question and one that ought to be asked frequently in these days of religious confusion. One would think that such reflective analysis would be the norm given the numbers of people who have claimed healing at the hands of those claiming apostolic gifts and then subsequently dying of the illnesses and maladies that they were “healed” of. One would think that the many instances of miraculous claims gone sour would cause at least one eyebrow to be raised (if not two). The fact that faith healers who teach that healing is the inalienable right of believers through the atonement of Christ get sick and die ought to cause at least a twitch.
Remarkably, events that would give pause and prompt questions from little boys seem to pass like water off a duck’s back from people caught up in the emotion and the religious passion of the moment. The contents of this book will have little effect upon someone that refuses to “…try the spirits whether they are of God…”(I John 4:1) and to rightly divide “…the word of truth.” (II Tim 2:15)
If you are someone with at least one raised eyebrow who would rather not wait to be hit on the head before examining a very crucial biblical issue related to the working of the Spirit of God, then this book is for you. In this volume you will find some clarity to the mass confusion that exists in a religious world claiming mystical insights, supernatural power and even apostolic authority. There are many who are claiming the title of Apostle and assert that they are endowed with the same calling, ability and authority as the Apostles of old. They also maintain that miraculous occurrences typical of the apostolic age are supposed to be normal for today.
It is the thesis of this book that apostolic authority of the kind that existed in the New Testament church and which was characterized by powerful miraculous displays is long gone. It is the contention of this book that the existence and ministry of the Twelve Apostles and the miraculous demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit were inseparably linked.
To some folks that acknowledgment may seem to be a sad or even a faithless assertion. On the contrary, it is a very good thing. If true (and it is true), then much of what is going on in the Christian religious world — an abundance of which borders on the bizarre — is at best “sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” (I Cor. 13:1)
In this book you will learn about the very special individuals given to the church by the Lord Jesus Christ. They were called the Twelve. You will also learn about the criteria for these special apostles -what facts must be true for anyone to claim that they were one of this elite group known as the Twelve. We will find out that these men received a special promise from Jesus that was given to them alone. That promise was fulfilled to them alone and gave them a special ability to impart a unique endowment of miraculous power that was typical of the early years of the church. This ability that was the venue of the twelve Apostles alone has not been given to anyone else since!
What will knowing these things do for you, dear Reader? So glad that you asked! What the contents of this book will do for you is enable you to truly walk by faith, trusting in what is revealed in God’s Word, the Bible. It is a fact that many who say they are living by faith are really living in doubt and looking for proof. They are seeking spiritual experiences and miraculous occurrences to give validation to their wavering faith and seem to be on an endless quest for the next spiritual “high.”
Many believers are like surfers, endlessly looking to ride the perfect wave. That wave either never comes or they wipe out on the wave they thought was perfect. Then they start the process all over again. For many it is disappointing. It is frequently an emotional process that does not end well. All too often the end result is depression, defeat and disenchantment with the things of God.
Understanding the truths contained in this small volume will free confused believers from competing authorities in their lives. As a pastor of over 30 years I have found that many believers trust the Bible and….something else. They trust in the Bible and impressions, the Bible and experiences or the Bible and the pronouncements of the many self-appointed apostles and self-styled prophets who inhabit the religious world today. The result of these competing authorities has largely been chaos, confusion, heresy and disillusionment among believers. It has also increased skepticism among unbelievers.
It is the position of this writer that our New Testament faith was begun by the Savior Jesus Christ and conveyed by Him to those apostolic witnesses to the resurrected Christ appointed by Him for that purpose (I Cor. 15:1 -11). It is the author’s belief that we have an inspired record of that transmission in the Bible. As such, sincere believers should be satisfied with Christ and the Bible without seeking some esoteric or ecstatic experience being touted by some religious teacher or leader.
I would encourage you to approach the contents of this book as objectively as you can. That might be extremely difficult for those who tend to see biblical truth through an experiential or mystical grid. However, I would encourage you to ask the Lord to give you guidance and then plunge ahead. It is not difficult reading. It is not written for scholars and intellectuals. However, neither is it “bathtub” reading. I guarantee, though, that it will be a lot less painful than a crack on the head!
(c) 2011, Frank I. Snyder, Truly the Signs of an Apostle
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