How is Verification of Apostles done today?

"God is mingled with us, and we are mingled with Him! The objection has been raised that such a statement implies that God loses His divinity and we lose our humanity. Not so. When we make tea by adding tea leaves to water, there is no change in the substance and nature of the water nor of the tea. If we evaporate the water, the tea is still present. Nonetheless, the two are mingled into one drink. We do not drink water and then tea. When we drink the water, we drink tea. When we drink tea, we drink the water. They are one drink. The divine and the human are mingled into one spirit. Our being joined to the Lord in one spirit neither annuls His divinity nor destroys our humanity. Humanity still exists in divinity; divinity still exists in humanity. "
https://www.ministrysamples.org/excerpts/MINGLING.HTML
https://www.ministrysamples.org/excerpts/ONENESS-IN-THE-MINGLED-SPIRIT.HTML

What does Lee mean by mingled of man and God?

https://www.lctestimony.org/Witness-Lee-Quotations.html
https://www.ministrybooks.org/books.cfm?xid=MQVKPAOY75CFL
https://www.churchinaddisababa.org/book2-subtle-hidden-deceivers-en/
https://www.ministrybooks.org/books.cfm?xid=C60KSSJSOHGOF
https://thebereans.net/lords-recovery/
https://www.google.com/books/editio...=witness+lee+sabellianism&printsec=frontcover
https://www.google.com/books/editio...=witness+lee+sabellianism&printsec=frontcover
http://blog.moriel.org/church-issue...ings-of-witness-lee-and-the-local-church.html
https://www.google.com/books/editio...=witness+lee+sabellianism&printsec=frontcover
https://localchurchesfaq.org/modalistic-view/

2 Peter 1

Easy-to-Read Version



1 Greetings from Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.
To all of you who share in the same valuable faith that we have. This faith was given to us because our God and Savior Jesus Christ always does what is good and right.
2 Grace and peace be given to you more and more, because now you know God and Jesus our Lord.
God Has Given Us Everything We Need
3 Jesus has the power of God. And his power has given us everything we need to live a life devoted to God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus chose us by his glory and goodness, 4 through which he also gave us the very great and rich gifts that he promised us. With these gifts you can share in being like God. And so you will escape the ruin that comes to people in the world because of the evil things they want.
5 Because you have these blessings, do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; 6 to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; 7 to your devotion add kindness toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to this kindness add love. 8 If all these things are in you and growing, you will never fail to be useful to God. You will produce the kind of fruit that should come from your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who don’t grow in these blessings are blind. They cannot see clearly what they have. They have forgotten that they were cleansed from their past sins.
10 My brothers and sisters, God called you and chose you to be his. Do your best to live in a way that shows you really are God’s called and chosen people. If you do all this, you will never fall. 11 And you will be given a very great welcome into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, a kingdom that never ends.
12 You already know these things. You are very strong in the truth you have. But I am always going to help you remember them. 13 While I am still living here on earth, I think it is right for me to remind you of them. 14 I know that I must soon leave this body. Our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that. 15 I will try my best to make sure you remember these things even after I am gone.
We Saw Christ’s Glory
16 We told you about the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. We told you about his coming. The things we told you were not just clever stories that people invented. No, we saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes. 17 Jesus heard the voice of the great and glorious God. That was when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice said, “This is my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with him.” 18 And we heard that voice. It came from heaven while we were with Jesus on the holy mountain.[a]
19 This makes us more sure about what the prophets said. And it is good for you to follow closely what they said, which is like a light shining in a dark place. You have that light until the day begins and the morning star brings new light to your minds. 20 Most important of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures comes from the prophet’s own understanding. 21 No prophecy ever came from what some person wanted to say. But people were led by the Holy Spirit and spoke words from God.

2 Peter 1
King James Version
1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

I think is best to discuss problem areas with fellow believers in Christ.

What are the tenets of Brethren theology?

You are making a case for Apostolic Succession?

Ive never heard of that before. Is this an anabaptist thing?

I do not know but others brought it up.

man apostle is someone who met the lord face to face and was chosen by him to witness the gospel

what made Paul an apostle like the other eleven was that he also saw Jesus in person and was chosen by Jesus on earth to continue the spreading of the gospel to the world

notice there are only twelve thrones next to Christ ? Because there are only twelve apostles of Christ

“And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19:28‬ ‭KJV‬‬

the apostles are the twelve specific that Jesus chose on earth to continue the gospel spreading into all nations Paul of course was chosen by Jesus also to replace Judas

Matthias was chosen by casting lord before the Holy Spirit was given , after the spirit came at Pentecost God later chose Paul as his twelth apostle

the definition of an apostle is one who saw and was seen by Jesus Christ in the flesh and was appointed by his word to carry out his mission after his death spreading the gospel into all the world


“After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:7-9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

To be an apostle you have to meet Jesus in person and be appoonted by him personally to the commission of the apostles

An apostle is a chosen vessel to carry out christs mission of spreading the gospel Paul’s choosing as an apostle came out of time from the others when he saw and was chosen by Jesus also

“And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭9:4-6, 15-16‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Read what I said.
Paul was certainly was ordained by Jesus just as the original 12. Mathias was chosen by the church not ordained by Jesus.
Jesus has not ordained any Apostles since Paul.
Any man that calls himself an apostle today is a liar.

Jesus opened the minds of the Apostles to understanding the scripture in Luke 24:45.Nobody in all their studying will ever know total scripture.
My sister use to have this minister friend on Facebook,and he gave himself all the titles.Including Apostle.He'd brag about everything he's done and how God has rewarded him with wealth.
The last Apostles I know about were in the book of Acts.The next are the 144,000.It's the new song.Unlocking of the scripture with Jesus dwelling in them.The rushing waters and the pealing of thunder is the Living word giving testimony of his Two Witnesses.
The scripture gives you a hint on what they will look like.Revelation 1:13-16.

I did. You said “those 12”, Paul and Mathias weren’t part of those 12. Plus I don’t see any difference in the authority of the Church established by Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ himself. Jesus is the head of the church. It speaks with his authority. I do agree that no one is an apostle today, this isn’t the apostolic age anymore.

Why do you assume that Christians have closed minds?

We are told something about renewed minds.

That's correct. The Bible makes it clear that there are only twelve apostles of the Lamb (Judas excluded and Paul included). Also, the Church established by Christ was definitely NOT the church of Rome.

I've belonged to the "church" for as long as I've been alive. I've yet to talk to even one person who claims a total Transformation.

Romans 12:2 KJV - "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

I keep waiting to meet someone who has undergone such a Holy Operation by the Spirit:

Romans 2:28-29 KJV - "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."

And what, exactly, does this Operation of Faith look like?

Colossians 2:11-15 KJV - "In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it."

As I said, I have yet to shake the hand of anyone who has gone through such a Holy Operation . . . a Holy Transformation.

I am not there yet myself, the starting point is II Peter 1

I hear you my friend. Beg the Lord that He would fulfill this Promise to you:

Ezekiel 36:25-27 NKJV - "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."

The Core of the entire Bible is to turn to Christ for His Holy, Spiritual Circumcision of the Heart. Ezekiel's chapter 11 says essentially the same thing as what we see, here, in chapter 36. This Core Doctrine is so important, that Ezekiel recorded this message from God twice. Twice! I love this book!

Ameno