Apostolic Ministry
There are a number of important understandings of apostolic ministry that come directly from the word itself. I fear that we often think the New Testament writers had an English dictionary beside them when they were writing and chose words with pre-defined terms that worked for their readers. I get that impression from a lot of what I hear and read.Putting that aside, let’s go on a bit of a hike to see what we can find concerning apostles and apostolic ministry. To begin with, I want to consider a ‘big picture’ item that I believe gives an appropriate context for apostles – the original ones as well as contemporary ones. For this, I use the word ‘exclave’ (not enclave, but exclave). Yes, it really is a word
First take a look at the following illustration.
Noting that B and C are the same colour, C is an enclave in relation to A and an exclave in relation to B. It is an exclave in that it is essentially an outpost of B – a part of B excised away and placed within A. We can see many glimpses of this in Australian society because of our multicultural make-up. There are large ethnic groups within Australia from many nations of the world. Consider the Greeks in Melbourne for example. In relation to Australia and Melbourne, they form an enclave; in relation to Greece, they are an exclave – a little part of Greece excised and planted in Australia.
International embassies are also a fine illustration of an exclave. The US Embassy in Kampala (C) is an enclave in Uganda (A) and an exclave of the USA (B).
In a similar way, Paul's understanding of the place and the role of the New Covenant People of God in Christ (C) is that they are an enclave in the world, the kingdom of man (A) and an exclave of the Kingdom of God (B).
And there is an important extra dimension to this illustration: The Kingdom of God – the place God inhabits – is eternity, a ‘place’ not constrained by time, space and matter. The kingdom of man is the place of time, space and matter. The new covenant people of God – what Paul calls the ecclesia – is a volatile state of transition between the two. The people of God have ‘eternity in their hearts’ (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and are undergoing a permanent transformation into the likeness of Christ (Romans 12:2 and 1 Corinthians 3:18) while still being largely constrained within the time, space, matter continuum.
The ecclesia is an outpost of Eternity (the eternal Kingdom of God; the realm of God and His Son) placed within the world (the temporal kingdom of man; the realm of Satan and his entourage) for the purpose of representing the interests of the Kingdom of God and His Son and of providing the ‘bridge’ or way of passage from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His beloved son as Paul sets out in Colossians 1:13.
I am sure that if (God forbid) the US Embassy in Uganda (C) is torn down, the Ambassador and his staff will be evacuated home (B). Now listen to Paul in 2 Corinthians. He says that if our earthly tent is torn down, we do in fact have, in God, “a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
The US Ambassador in Uganda (or embassy staff) from time to time probably groan and long for ‘home’. That’s what Paul says here: “we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven.”
Paul goes on to say that we groan “…to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. Now he who has prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.” I am sure the US Ambassador to Uganda has received some pledge as to his future back in the US.
Now following such a wonderful assurance from Eternity, Paul goes on to list for all to see what he counts as the ‘therefores’ of this situation:
- We walk by faith, not by sight, and are of good courage – while we continue to prefer “to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord”;
- We make it our ambition – whether here or at home – “…to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad”;
- (Knowing the fear of the Lord) “we persuade men, but are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf”;
- (From now on) “we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 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”;
- We are “ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; ‘we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God’. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Paul understood that he was an Ambassador from a distant country in an exclave of that country, situated in a different country living as a feared or despised enclave, but having the gifts, ministry and calling of reconciliation between the citizens of the host country and the King of his country. That’s the job of an Ambassador – and it’s the job of an Apostle. And, incidentally, apostle is a Greek word, while the Latin equivalent (with the same meaning) is missionary.
We must not commit the error of trying to create a definition of apostle and apostolic ministry out of the murky mass of mediocrity we call ‘church’. God’s intention is that apostles and their apostolic ministry define and build ‘church’ – or, more correctly, ecclesia, since church as we know it is man’s idea while ecclesia is God’s idea.
Paul is doubtless an apostle, even though he is somewhat different from the original twelve apostles Jesus appointed. And Paul evidently sees that others around him share his gift, ministry and calling. So the first thing we can learn here is that ‘apostle’ is not a class of ministry, but the description of a man (or woman) who has the gifts, ministry and calling as an Ambassador of Christ as he described in 2 Corinthians 5, especially verses 19 to 21.
In like manner, we can learn pretty much everything else we need to know from the rest of 2 Corinthians 5. We can then add to that the things we can learn from the recorded history of Apostle Paul and his years of ministry throughout Judea, West Asia and Europe – as recorded for us in Acts and in the letters written to the congregations that were started.
In addition, Jesus is referred to as “the apostle and high priest of our confession” in Hebrews 3:1. John wrote that “the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14) and he said in John 1:14 that “the Word became flesh and dwelt [tabernacled] among us”. Jesus wasn’t just an Ambassador and an Envoy; He was all that as well as the King’s Son.
Then, of course, there are the twelve disciples whom Jesus sent out as emissaries – apostles – into the world. John records Jesus saying, “As the Father has sent me I also send you.” The twelve were disciples who became friends, who became ‘sent ones’ – apostles we would call them in English as we simply take the Greek word and Anglicise it instead of translating it.
The How of Apostolic Ministry
Let me start this section with a quote from Cheryl McGrath, a prophet involved in a ministry called Great South Land Ministries. The article is "THE TWOFOLD COMPANY OF APOSTLES AND PROPHETS AND SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE PROPHETIC COMMUNITY" of April 2012.
"In the story of the feeding of the five thousand we see a prophetic picture of the fivefold governmental ministries given by Christ as a gift of grace to His Bride (Eph. 4:7-8). There are five loaves, which must first be broken to be fit for the Bride to eat, just as the Bread of Life, Jesus, was also broken in His own body. It is in the breaking that the multiplication takes place. The five loaves speak to us of the Bread that comes down from Heaven and represent the five-fold functions of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Twelve is the prophetic number representing corporate government.
"The twelve baskets filled with surplus bread and fish speak to us of the full sufficiency of this Christ-appointed fivefold government to bring the Bride to maturity. What then, of the two fish? I believe the two fish represent the twofold that is hidden within the fivefold - that is the joint foundation-laying ministry of apostles and prophets. Just as bread brings a fullness and nourishment to the physical body, fish also provide an added source of essential nutrients that are unique to that species.
"Man does not live on bread alone but by every word that proceeds forth from the mouth of God (Deu. 8:3). Prophets bring to the Bride the rhema word tempered by the logos. Apostles deliver to the Bride the logos, impregnated with the rhema. Both together provide the Bride with specific revelation and direction."
Cheryl McGrath
www.greatsouthland.org
Copyright 2004 Cheryl McGrath, Great South Land Ministries, Australia.
Apostles and prophets are now and always have been critical for the proper functioning of the people of God throughout history - the McGrath article makes the point well.
Although I have no particular authority or reference to point to here, I firmly believe there is a linkage between three threes in the New Testament: three types of knowledge; three things called ‘the word’ and three primary leadership functions. The prophet primarily deals with the rhema word of God – simply ‘that which He speaks’ – and his primary source is intuitive knowledge (Greek eido). The teacher primarily deals with the grapho word of God – the scriptures – and his primary source is intellectual knowledge (Greek epistami). The apostle primarily deals with the logos word of God – Jesus and the story of Jesus – and his primary source is experiential knowledge (Greek ginosko).
Each of these is a critical and essential element in the process of the kingdom of God being proclaimed and entered into and in the process of the Body of Christ being transformed, degree by degree, into the image and maturity of Christ. In this, the apostle is the pioneer, the vanguard movement. The apostle comes “to bring the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” He is a wise builder if he establishes that and then moves on so the complementary ministries of prophet and teacher, bringing the other types of knowledge, are free to have effect.
Virgo points to these main ministries and functions of the ‘sent-ones’ today:
• They are master-builders and foundation-layers (1 Corinthians 3:10). “Paul did not regard his apostleship as a position in a hierarchy or structure… He had a stewardship from God. He had to proclaim the unfathomable riches of Christ and bring people to an assured understanding of what it is to be in Christ and have Christ in them.” (Ibid. p 132) And he asks the searching question, “How many in the average evangelical church are deeply assured that they have been crucified with Christ, have been delivered from sin, have died to law and are free from all condemnation? Apostolic doctrine handled with apostolic authority and insight is desperately needed.”
• They bring practical correction to a local assembly that “has not only received an attitude of legalism but has actually built some of its structures around it.” (Ibid. p 133) Local assembly elders are often the ones who feel the desperate need for apostolic ministry and authority – and that is part of the apostle’s portfolio.
• They bring a genuine fatherly care to local assemblies, without demanding allegiance to them personally. As part of that care, they will often be able to recognise and appoint local elders with appropriate gift, ministry and calling. The New Testament would suggest that the principle of “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 15:28) was an important part of the arrangements for this.
• They break new ground for the good news of Jesus – often as distinct from sowing where another person has ploughed. It should be noted that the Jews had ‘evangelists’ too. Jesus said of the Pharisees that they “travel over land and sea to win a single convert” (Matt 23:15). They didn’t stop Paul – indeed, they probably made him work that much harder – because Paul had received the word of the new administration of God by Divine revelation and knew his calling was to take the message of reconciliation, justification and redemption to far-flung places.
• They help us determine what we are aiming to build and, when the choice is appropriate, they help us build it. But, as Virgo suggests, “If we want to preserve the status quo, certainly we can cope without them. If we want a nice, cosy, charismatic house group or a safe institutional church enjoying a little renewal we can find some of our hopes fulfilled. But if we want to see the church [assembly] come to the fullness of the stature of Christ, to a mature man, it is essential for all the gifted men mentioned in Ephesians 4 to have their full place in our church life.” (Ibid. p 136)
• They start new local assemblies and assist others to break through barriers that their leaders find impossible to penetrate.
• They “bring the plumb-line to church life to see if it matches biblical revelation… He cannot impose his authority in other churches, nor should it be his desire to do so. He will, however, happily respond to invitations from church elders who reach out for his help.” (Ibid. p 138)
• They often find they cannot work alone and go about in teams, often working with younger disciples and elders who evidence the gift, ministry and calling to apostolic service.
• Virgo also makes this valid point: “Apostolic ministry transcends nationalism and does not attempt to superimpose one nation’s culture on another. Some travelling ministries will count it their joy to stimulate the development of emerging apostles and prophets in other nations and then step back and let them fulfil their calling, as Barnabas did with Paul. God will raise up Antioch bases all over the world – churches of far-reaching vision that release fresh apostolic and prophetic ministry.” (Ibid. p 141)
I think it is also very important to learn from Floyd McClung according to what he has written in You See Bones I See An Army (2007: David C Cook).
I view McClung as a modern apostle. I believe he fits the description well and has done so for much of his adult life. The story of Living on the Devil’s Doorstep is testament to a man with a commission – a job of work to do, sent by God and attested to by signs and wonders.
McClung works tirelessly to what he calls “an inner set of core beliefs that, for better or worse”, guide his life. For him, they are these:
• Courageous leadership
• Focused obedience
• Apostolic passion
• Making disciples
I write McClung’s five core beliefs like this: He became a disciple and through focused obedience was led on to courageous leadership which led in turn to apostolic passion for growing simple [local] assemblies that make disciples that practice focused obedience and courageous leadership inspired by apostolic passion for growing simple churches that make disciples …..
Next: prophetic ministry.
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