Rethinking the Bible with Jack Pelham

Rethinking the Bible with Jack Pelham


Episode 39: You Are Not An Apostle.

July 05, 2021


DESCRIPTION: A great deal of confusion exists in the churches today because of the careless attention that is given to the various roles that people played in the First Century ekklesia (“church” to most). Without careful attention, it’s easy to assume upon ourselves roles and promises that were given to someone other than us. This episode takes a detailed look at the role of the apostles, and shows how it was a crucial and special role, and how we ourselves are not apostles.



ORIGINAL ARTICLE

This episode entails a reading (and expounding upon) of a September 2, 2013 article that Jack posted at his newly-restored website, bibleinvestigation.com. The article has been copied and pasted below for your convenience.



You are not an apostle.



You know this already, of course.  So why am I writing an article to prove it?



Well, interestingly, an awful lot of believers who already know they are not apostles routinely assume upon themselves various promises and duties that Jesus gave to his apostles, and not to anyone else.  So I thought it would be good to set the record straight on a few matters about which there seems to be widespread confusion.



First, some basic facts about the apostles:



1. The word “Apostle” means “one who is sent out”.  From apo–out or away, stellein–to send.  Read more here if you like.  As we shall see below, the apostles were sent out by Jesus.  They were expected to deliver his message impeccably to the entire “world” (whatever amount of the surface of Planet Earth that was supposed to cover), calling people everywhere to follow Jesus.  Here’s the scripture that says so:



Mark 16:15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.



Interestingly, the word for “church” is ekklesia, which means those who are called out.  So perhaps it’s no mere coincidence that the apostles are the ones out doing the calling on Jesus’ behalf, and that those who responded were the “called-out ones” (ekklesia).



2. Apostles were personally appointed by Jesus.  Even in the case of Paul, who came considerably after the appointment of Peter and the others, Jesus had a personal meeting with him.  Here’s a start on some passages in support of what I’m saying, with an occasional note inserted:



Luke 6:12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.



Acts 9:3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”  Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”



NOTE: This is the conversion of Saul/Paul, who is well established as having been one of Jesus’ authorized apostles.



1 Corinthians 12:28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?



NOTE: Not all were apostles, but only a few. And note also that they were the first in the order, having a special place.



3. Apostles had miraculous abilities. Here are six brief passages about this, with some notes.



Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 



NOTE: This was more than the power to cast out demons and to heal diseases, for they had already been given this in Matthew 10:1.



John 14:12“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 



NOTE: I know of no believer in this generation who does greater works than Jesus, although this could have been true of the apostles with their “signs and wonders”.  If the Bible were a complete record of what happened, I get the feeling we’d have lots of accounts of the apostles doing mighty works.



 Acts 2:43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles



NOTE: Why only through the apostles? Why were not all believers given such powers?



 Acts 4:33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 



NOTE: This is probably literal language concerning miracles, and not figurative as in “What a powerful message today, Pastor!”



 Acts 5:12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. 



NOTE: We don’t know just HOW many. It could have been an exceedingly large number, for all we are told.



2 Corinthians 12:12  Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds



NOTE: This seems to have been a standard feature of apostleship.  There is no promise of such powers for all believers, and there is certainly no evidence that all believers have such gifts–or that it ever was so.



4. The apostleship was only for a limited time. In no place does scripture lay out any plan for an apostolic succession; once the apostles were gone, there would be no replacement for them.



Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the end of the age.



There were two ages in view:  “this age”, said Jesus, and “the age to come”:   



Matthew 12:32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.



Paul would write that they were at the common terminus of two ages—that is, the end of one and the beginning of the next:



1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.



With this, Hebrews agrees:  



Hebrews 9:26 … but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.



Jesus therefore, was promising to continue guiding the apostles’ work only up until the end of that age in which they were when he gave the promise.  It was not a perpetual state, but a temporary one.  Hence, there are no more apostles today, and this is as it was planned.



5. The apostles were the chief authority for the ekklesia (“church” to most) on the Earth.  Yes, Jesus was in charge of the whole thing, but he had appointed them to lead the ekklesia:



Matthew 16:18 I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.



1 Corinthians 12:28  And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 



NOTE: Not only are the apostles first on the list, but Paul makes it certain that they are to be first inasmuch as he uses the word “first”.



Ephesians 2:19  Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,… 



NOTE: Without the apostles, there could have been no “foundation” to the ekklesia. Whatever someone today wants to make of it all, this is the way that JESUS decided to build his ekklesia.



Ephesians 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 



NOTE: Apostles start the list again.



Revelation 20:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 



NOTE: Their role in the ekklesia on the Earth was so profound that they even have special honor in heaven!



7. The revealing of Christ to the world and to the ekklesia would happen through the ministry of the apostles. I have already mentioned that the “calling” to those who were to be “called out” seems to have been done through the work of Jesus’ apostles.  Here are some passages that support this idea.



John 12:18  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world….20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;

Acts 1:8  But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Ephesians 3:4  By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel

2 Peter 3:1  This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.



So those are the basics.  And surely, you don’t think you are an apostle.  But what follows below is a list of bad assumptions made by many believers today, in which they presume upon themselves either promises or duties that were only ever made to the apostles.



Promises and Commissions That Were Only For the Apostles



“Christ’s Ambassadors”  Paul wrote to the Corinthians the following: 



2 Corinthians 5:20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.  



“Whatever you ask…” 



John 14:13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.



“Nothing will be impossible for you.” 



Matthew 17:18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.  19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”  20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”



“I can do all things.” 



Philippians 4:12  I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.



“Teach you all things” 



John 14:25  “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.



“Guide you into all truth” 



John 16:12 I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.



The Great Commission. 



Matthew 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.



So cut it out!



Do you have any idea, Christian, how much strife and cognitive dissonance is caused by the careless application of these promises and commissions to those for whom they were never meant?  How many believers feel bad about themselves because they have been taught to believe that if only they had enough faith, they’d be able to do whatever they want or get whatever they ask for?  And how many people’s faith has been wrecked by believers who are still too ignorant and immature to be good representatives, taking upon themselves the role of an apostle in some way or another?



The Craziest Part



The craziest part of all this is that we can prove, by way of direct observation, that these promises are not true for us today. Even so, so very many continue to tell themselves lies with regard to these things, telling themselves what they know, or should know, does not apply to us.  This habit, therefore, is dishonest, irrational, and irresponsible.  For an apostle to have claimed these promises and commissions faithfully would have been wholly rational (reality-based), for the apostles had indeed been so promised and commissioned.  But for any non apostle to assume these promises and commissions is an exercise in unreality, for they were simply not given to us.  If if we’re going to be honest and responsible, this simply has to be OK with us.  We didn’t get to live in the Garden of Eden, to ride on Noah’s Ark, to worship in the Temple, to sit at Jesus’ feet, nor to be one of his apostles.  Those things were only for a time, and that time has gone.  Let us be content, therefore, to live in the time and circumstances into which our lives were created.