Jesus, The Church, and The Coming Kingdom

[EDITOR'S NOTE-THIS ARTICLE IS PART ONE OF A THREE PART SERIES. ]

Earlier I posted my notes on a teaching by Tim Johns called “Apostolic Strategies for Regional Revival.”  In my zeal to post new content to the blog and my myopia that causes me to think everyone is exactly like me, I posted material that some people wouldn’t understand because they haven’t traveled in the same circles I have.  This became clear when a friend of my sister-in-law read the article and then wrote me with a ton of really good questions.  I’m going to paste some of the e-mail here, because I think the answers to these questions will provide a useful foundation for more of what will appear here and around the Earth.

“I have some questions about the ‘Apostolic Strategies for Regional Revival’ workshop notes that you posted on your website. What makes a person an apostle?  Can pastors also be apostles, because they were sent by God to fulfill the role that they are in?  Later in the notes it says that you need to insist on government, so why is a pastor based system wrong for government.  I guess I don’t really understand what a “pastor based system” is in the way it is being refered to here. And what is an apostolic tribe, and why is it so important?” 

I want to be clear about a couple of things.  First, what typically happens whenever these issues are discussed is that we tend to find ourselves discussing forms of government, roles of men, and strategies for growth.  And while these things are important they tend to distract us a little bit from the true thrust of the apostolic—an unyielding fascination with Christ that provokes the body not only to grow in numbers but to “grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” Second, even though I’ve studied this topic thoroughly and spent time with many who thought they were apostles, most of my experience with men who truly are apostles has been from a distance.  In some ways I think that qualifies me to say something, since most people have hardly met anyone they would consider a true apostle.  Having said all that, let’s look at who an apostle is, how he functions with the rest of the body, and how the body draws from the apostolic gift to become an apostolic people. 

The Apostle 

            Defining the word “apostle” has become difficult in our day and age because we have nothing in the modern world called “apostle.”  When Jesus extended His miracle-working ministry to others, he gathered twelve of his closest disciples and called them “apostles,” (Matthew 10:1-2, cf. Mark 3:14-15).  Jesus, however, didn’t make up the word.  He borrowed from contemporary Roman culture a word that was used to described warships that were dispatched with a specific mission to accomplish.  It was also used to describe a designated representative of a king who was sent out to expand the territory of that king’s rule.  So just by looking at the term, it becomes obvious that a true apostle is sent by God to expand the Kingdom (Kingship) of God in the earth.  This plays out in a number of ways, but it is the most basic description of an apostle.

The best place to get a definition of any gift that God gives the body is in the Godhead.  Every gift and office in scripture has its origin in the counsels of God.  Hebrews 3:1 tells us that Jesus was the very first apostle.  He, more than any other man, was sent from the Father to extend the Kingship of God.  He was empowered by God to work signs and wonders and take back humanity for His Father.  He also fathered a generation of young men and raised them up to be apostles and prophets who would build His Church.  These realities were repeated in the lives of every man in the Bible whom we typically think of as an apostle.

The Bible gives us some definite ways to determine whether an individual is an apostle or not.  Jesus, speaking to the church in Ephesus, commends the saints because they “put to the test those who call[ed] themselves apostles,” (Revelation 2:2).  This should alert us to two things: 1) There are people who claim to be apostles and are not, and 2) There is a set of genuine qualifications that are necessary to be an apostle.  These biblical qualifications are not only applicable to the first century church, but to our own day and time as well. 

            By looking at the life and teaching of the early church some obvious signs become clear.  First, apostles are people who are witnesses of the Resurrection of Christ or have seen the risen Christ (cf. Acts 1:21-22, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8).  In the future I hope to detail this reality more clearly, but apostles must be uniquely equipped testify to the reality that Jesus Christ is alive.  Secondly, apostles are known for extraordinary demonstrations of power in their ministry (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:12, Matthew 10:8).  Finally, in the same way evangelists are known for their ability to convert any one who doesn’t know Jesus, apostles have a unique ability to spiritually father believers.  The Corinthian church that Paul planted had many elders (pastors and teachers), but Paul was uniquely the spiritual father of the church in
Corinth (1 Corinthians 4:15).  

[EDITOR'S NOTE- LOOK FOR PART TWO NEXT WEEK- APOSTLES AND THE FIVE-FOLD MINISTRY]