Were There Really Only 12 Apostles & Why Does It Matter?
Apostles are more common than we think. There are a total of 98 apostles mentioned in the New Testament! Let's see what we can learn and apply to our lives.
Let's begin with Jesus, Who is called an Apostle
• Jesus, the Apostle (apostolos) and High Priest of our confession (Heb. 3:1)
• Strong’s #G652 – apostolos - word occurs 53 times in KJV
• Defined: send out on a mission
Jesus selects the original 12 apostles (apostellō) and sends them out (Mk. 3:13-19)
• And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send (apostellō) them out to preach (Mk. 3:14)
• Strong's #G649 - apostellō - word occurs 148 times in KJV
• Defined: send out on a mission
• Matthias was picked to replace Judas (Acts 1:26). They demanded that he meet two criteria – Acts 1:21,22.
Jesus sends out 70 apostles to various cities
Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent (apostellō G649) them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. (Lk. 10:1)
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The above total is 84 apostles before Pentecost, followed by 14 after Pentecost = 98 total
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After Pentecost - 14 additional apostles are mentioned (Greek in each verse is apostolos or apostellō)
1. Paul (Acts 14:14; 22:21)
2. Barnabas (Acts 4:36; 11:22-30; 14: 1,4,14; 1 Corinthians 9:5-6)
3. Apollos (1 Corinthians 4:6-9)
4. Andronicus (Romans 16:7)
5. Junia (Romans 16:7)
6. Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25, messenger—apostolos).
7. Titus (2 Corinthians 8:23, messenger— apostolos).
8. Two unnamed brethren (2 Corinthians 8:23, messenger— apostolos)
9. Timothy (Acts 19:22, sent - apostellō; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2:6)
10. Judas (Acts 15:22)
11. Silas/Silvanus (Acts 15:22; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2:6)
12. Erastus (Acts 19:22, sent - apostellō)
13. Tychicus (2 Timothy 4:12, sent - apostellō)
Key words which define what an apostle does
• Sent out one - Sent them in pairs (Lk. 10:1).
• Foundation Layer - Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone (Eph. 2:20).
• Master Builder - According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it (1 Cor. 3:10). Greek root word translated master builder is architekton (#G753 in Strong’s; our word architect comes from this word).
• A commander of a naval expedition was called an apostle (Colin Brown Dictionary of New Testament Words). This is a great picture describing the work of an apostle. The captain is responsible to see that every item necessary for the survival and accomplishment of the expedition is present and properly managed. He must see the big picture and is responsible for the whole.
Apostles are architects who build things which is why I MUST have an apostle on my team!
The apostle has a heart for the whole. He is the architect who designs the project (church, business, naval expedition, clinic, hospital, etc.), oversees its establishment, and ensures that all parts are working together properly. In a church he sees that evangelism, teaching, pastoring, and prophesying are all present in a balanced, effective, life-giving way.
Smith Wigglesworth has been called the “Apostle of Faith,” indicating that he built faith in the churches he visited. So possibly apostles are builders, regardless of what they build.
In one sense, the architect does more of the planning and overseeing than he does the actual building himself. He sees to it that all the others are building properly, with proper materials, and in proper timing. He is concerned that the foundations are accurately laid and that the materials are of high quality so that the skyscraper can rise to its maximum height without cracking under strain or stress.
An apostle will likely have the gifts of administration and leadership. He probably has experience in each of the other five-fold ministries which he oversees (Eph. 4:11). Some apostles, like Paul, traveled extensively. Others, like Peter, James, and John, stayed in Jerusalem and were overseers in the Jerusalem church. Therefore, apostles can be traveling or resident.
Apostles come in all kinds of personalities, as can be readily seen by the personalities of the first twelve apostles. Consider the personality differences between Peter and John, for instance. Therefore, no one personality is right for the apostle.
Don’t make your function your title
Paul refers to himself as “Paul, an apostle” (2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:1, 1 Tim. 1:1). Had he said that he was the “Apostle Paul,” then Apostle would have been his title. But instead, he says, “Paul, an apostle,” meaning that he functioned as an apostle in some situations, but he was not an apostle to all (1 Cor. 9:2;1 Tim. 2:7). Jesus speaks against titles (Matt. 23:8-12).
Domination is forbidden for all leaders in the New Testament (Matt. 20:25-28).
Manifesting the “Heart for the Whole” in Vocational Ministry
This person with the call and anointing to be apostolic will be a president of one or several companies. He will be a multi-gifted individual who will lead others. He may be a builder, developer, architect, manager, or leader. He may be an advertising executive, an air traffic controller, an airplane pilot, a ship captain, or an ambassador. He may be a city planner, a college president, a music conductor, or a contractor. He could be a hospital administrator, a hotel manager, a judge, or a lawyer. He could be a military officer, a politician, a public administrator, or a restaurant manager. This is only a sampling of possible vocational ministries.
Discovering and accepting apostles today
The apostle, like each and every other job or ministry, requires the call and gifting of God upon the individual’s life. God anoints each of us for the vocations and ministries He has in store for us. In addition, one grows into his full ministry gift as he walks with God. You will have the call to be an apostle from birth. However, you will not actually be placed in that office until much later in life. By that point, you will have received proper training and experience, matured in your giftings, and come to the place where others recognize the call of God upon you. So you may have the call of God for an office or ministry in the Body of Christ long before you will actually be placed into that position.
Therefore, when you sense this call, you should begin preparing yourself for the ministry, rather than arrogantly declaring that you have a certain ministry in the Body of Christ. This is particularly true of the apostolic ministry.
Because the apostle generally is gifted and experienced in each of the other four ministries of Ephesians 4:11, the office of apostle calls for a higher level of maturity, Bible knowledge, and fruitfulness than is generally required for ministry.
Apostles grew to the point of being able to do attesting miracles (2 Cor. 12:12). This does not necessarily mean that one needs to do miracles when he is first called an apostle. However, as one matures, the empowering for miracles will develop in his ministry.
God has already placed apostles in our twenty-first century Church. They are all around us. It is just that we have made the word “apostle” so out of reach that we do not believe it is possible to fulfill. I do not like it when we take Christianity and make it unreachable for the masses. We reserve it for an elite few. I think it is satan’s strategy to get us to remove New Testament Christianity from the reach of believers at large, and I have chosen to reject such elitism, whether it deals with the hearing of God’s voice, or the seeing of God’s vision, or the five-fold ministry team which forms the eldership body in a local church (Eph. 4:7-11). I would like to see a return to the patterns of New Testament Christianity. I have chosen this as my own course. Where will you stand?
Personal Journaling Application - Ensuring my foundation is set so I can build all God has called me to build
1. Lord, am I apostolic, and if not, who would be the one with a heart for the whole that I MUST team up with to successfully build that which You have asked me to build?
2. Lord, am I prophetic, and if not, who would be the one with the heart for inspirational creativity which I MUST team up with to successfully build that which You have asked me to build?
Know that as you ask God to bring to you the team members you need to be fully successful in achieving the call and destiny He has placed on your heart, He will hear and He will send them to you. Keep your eyes and ears open for them to appear. Look in any places He tells you to look to discover these team members.
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Dive deeper and discover more in Unique Gifts Make Winning Teams.
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