Missionary Gas

There is a heated debate in Latin American churches about the continued existence of apostles.   This matter has been taken up in Ayuda Pastoral . How should Christians view claims to contemporary apostleship? A biblical perspective on the issue indicates the following: The word "apostle" means  someone sent.   The Greek noun "apostolos" comes from the verb to send.  So as a "sent one" every believer is an apostle:  " no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger ("apostolos") greater than the one who sent him. (Joh 13:16 cf.  Heb.  13:1). I n a general sense an apostle is a gospel messenger.     The mission of the "apostolos" in the New Testament is to take the gospel message.  "as for our brothers, they are representatives ("apostolos") of the churches and an honour to Christ" (2Co 8:23).    To emphasize this,  the apostle is sometimes connected with the prophet:  "I will se

Typically an out-of-office  automated   response to an email is:   Sorry, I am away just now but will reply as soon as I get back. Anita Latinos of course hype things up,  and maybe that's not a bad thing.    Recently I received the following automated response (which has been translated from the Spanish but with the original colours and exclamation marks): Blessings on you!!! A thousand thanks for writing to me and what you've shared!! I hope, with God's help,  you're well! I look forward to enjoying more of your pleasant and encouraging friendship!! Fraternal greetings to you! I'll be in touch! MARANATHA!! May Christ bless you ... He is returning soon!!!   Anita  

Next question dealt with in Ayuda Pastoral : What are a pastor’s indispensible steps in preparing a sermon? Basic and essential stages in sermon preparation are: 1. Prayer. What was notable about the ministry of Jesus was his time spent in prayer. Typically we read: "while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed" (Mar 1:35 cp Luk. 5:16; 6:12; 9:28; 18:1; 22:44). The preacher needs to pray for understanding of the text, for the Spirit’s accompanying the Word and for his own humility. 2. Think of the congregation. A sermon has to connect with the real world of its hearers. What concerns do they have? What needs to they face? What is their level of understanding? Paul’s sermons showed a noticeable change when he preached to Jews or Gentiles of the Royal Court (Acts 13:13-41; 17:2-31; 26:2-29). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus appreciated his listeners’ background and so spoke to their

Next issue in Ayuda Pastoral (Spanish pastoral website where church leaders respond to a weekly question): What do you think about donating to missionary societies or charitable institutions? Should we only give our offerings to the local church? In the world of the New Testament Church there were no separate missionary societies or charitable organizations. So it is difficult to answer this question directly from the Bible. However there are some biblical principles to guide us: Usually offerings should go to the local church. Naturally this was the early church practice: “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income” (1 Cor. 16:2 cf. Acts 2:45; 4:34-35) Local church leaders are responsible for distributing funds. Elders and deacons used such funds for charitable works and missionary activities: “The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Jude