Are there apostles today?

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).

In 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 send them prophets and apostles" (Luk 11:49).

In a special sense an apostle was one of the 12.  There was a particular group that Christ chose to start the primitive church which he called apostles.   After praying all night Jesus "called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles" (Luk 6:13).  Paul was later also to receive this title (Rom.  1:1).

The apostolic message is the foundation of the church.  The 12 had authority because they helped to establish the teaching and practice of Jesus.  By means of their message many were converted and the church was:  "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone"  (Eph.  2:20). In a connected way,  the New Testament was written by those who were apostles or their companions.

Thus the biblical sense of contemporary apostles exists in:

·         the missionary activity of every Christian

·         the message of the New Testament

·         the doctrine and practice of the church of Christ

Super-enhanced response!!!!

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 

Essentials of sermon preparation

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 situation.

3. Study the text without using commentaries. Commentaries are excellent but best left to the final stages of preparation. The text on its own must first minister to the minister. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached with little preparation because Jesus’ message had taken hold of his mind. The songs of Mary and Zechariah indicate that they were people who reflected deeply on the Scriptures (Lk. 1:46-55; 67-79).

4. Ask questions of the text. In order for the preacher to be enthusiastic about what he is saying there has to be an interaction between himself and the text. To stimulate this he should ask questions of the text, for example: Why has Matthew chosen this particular event to include it in his gospel? How does the passage show John persuading his readers to trust in Jesus? What is important to Paul this in his passage?

Ballymena street signs

Should I give to missionary societies?

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 Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul” (Acts 11:29-30 cf. 2 Cor. 9:5; Acts 6:1-4).
• It is legitimate to give to individuals and organizations. Jesus and the apostles received material help from women who supported their ministry. Luke describes such women as those who “were helping to support them out of their own means” (Luke 8:2-3). Matthew describes such women who followed Jesus to the cross as those who cared “for his needs” (Matt. 27:55). Paul also received help from Christians in Macedonia (2 Cor. 11:9).
• By faith we decide who to give to. Whether it is to the local church, a missionary or a para-ecclesiastical organization, the giving is done believing that it is the right thing to do. Paul says, “everything that does not come from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23), and “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give” (2 Cor. 9:7 cf. 1 Cor. 10:31).