Understanding the AnointingThere are only "twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev. 21:14).
Their qualifications were outlined in Acts 1, when the
twelve selected an apostle to take Judas' place. We see from
verses 21 and 22 that to be one of the twelve apostles of the
Lamb, one had to have accompanied the apostles and Jesus
during the entire time of His 3 1/2-year ministry (Paul was not
with them).
Also, the original twelve were "sent ones" to be
eyewitnesses of the ministry, works, life, death, burial,
resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. They stood
in a place no other apostles or ministries can ever stand.
There are, however, apostles today in the sense that
Barnabas, Paul, and others were apostles.
We have seen listed in Ephesians 4:11, "And he gave some,
APOSTLES.... " If God has taken this or any other ministry
out of this list, then the Bible should have told us that He gave
them for just a little while.
All of the ministry gifts were given for the perfecting of the
saints, the work of the ministry, and the edifying of the Body of
Christ. This includes apostles. Thank God, the office of the
apostle exists today!
For how long did God give the ministry gifts? According to
verse 13, all of them were given "Till we all come in the unity
of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a
perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of
Christ."
In summary, the four marks we look for in an apostle today
are:
- Outstanding spiritual gifts.
- Deep personal experience.
- Power and ability to establish churches.
- Ability to provide adequate spiritual leadership.
If you think God called you to be an apostle, don't bother