The question is simple: are there apostles of Christ living today?
My answer will surprise my friends. YES.
There are FALSE APOSTLES. That's the only kind that are alive today.
Notice that I distinguish between Apostles of Christ and Apostles of the Church.
An Apostle of Christ is distinguished by the following:
(borrowed from the Cripplegate website)
In order to be an apostle, one had to meet at least three necessary qualifications: (1) an apostle had to be an eyewitness of the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:22
; 10:39–41
; 1 Cor. 9:1
; 15:7–8
); (2) an apostle had to be directly appointed by Jesus Christ (Mark 3:14
; Luke 6:13
; Acts 1:2
, 24
; 10:41
; Gal. 1:1
); and (3) an apostle had to be able to confirm his mission and message with miraculous signs (Matt. 10:1–2
; Acts 1:5–8
; 2:43
; 4:33
; 5:12
; 8:14
; 2 Cor. 12:12
; Heb. 2:3–4
).
Link:
Are There Still Apostles Today? | The Cripplegate
Obviously NO ONE can meet these qualifications today. Therefore, there are no apostles of Christ today.
I acknowledge the valid use of the term "apostle" to describe "apostles of the Church" - church planters or missionaries who are sent by their church to plant churches. This is not the same as an Apostle of Christ, though....these are apostles of the Church.
The most common claim is : The five-fold ministry is defined in Scripture, therefore the office is still valid (Ephesians 4:11).
My response is: The ministry of the Apostles and prophets are perpetuated through their writings, which we have today in our Scriptures. Jesus, the apostles and prophets are the FOUNDATION of the church, and we are building on the foundation (Ephesians 2:20).
I belonged to a cultic group as a young man. The leader claimed to be both an apostle and prophet. He was an extremely vain, self-important individual. I find the same characteristics amongst those claiming to be apostles and prophets today.
They are vain men who strut around in a pompous display, and I have not met a single one of them who had a very good understanding of Scripture.
I caution them to repent of their foolishness, and humble themselves.
Anyways, what do you think? Feel free to vote.
My answer will surprise my friends. YES.
There are FALSE APOSTLES. That's the only kind that are alive today.
Notice that I distinguish between Apostles of Christ and Apostles of the Church.
An Apostle of Christ is distinguished by the following:
(borrowed from the Cripplegate website)
In order to be an apostle, one had to meet at least three necessary qualifications: (1) an apostle had to be an eyewitness of the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:22
Link:
Are There Still Apostles Today? | The Cripplegate
Obviously NO ONE can meet these qualifications today. Therefore, there are no apostles of Christ today.
I acknowledge the valid use of the term "apostle" to describe "apostles of the Church" - church planters or missionaries who are sent by their church to plant churches. This is not the same as an Apostle of Christ, though....these are apostles of the Church.
The most common claim is : The five-fold ministry is defined in Scripture, therefore the office is still valid (Ephesians 4:11).
My response is: The ministry of the Apostles and prophets are perpetuated through their writings, which we have today in our Scriptures. Jesus, the apostles and prophets are the FOUNDATION of the church, and we are building on the foundation (Ephesians 2:20).
I belonged to a cultic group as a young man. The leader claimed to be both an apostle and prophet. He was an extremely vain, self-important individual. I find the same characteristics amongst those claiming to be apostles and prophets today.
They are vain men who strut around in a pompous display, and I have not met a single one of them who had a very good understanding of Scripture.
I caution them to repent of their foolishness, and humble themselves.
Anyways, what do you think? Feel free to vote.
Last edited: