apostles

An apostle is God's primary 'trailblazer' of the Kingdom of God, and he supervises with skill and wisdom the building of God's house, the church. Apostles were not only necessary for the church in its earliest state as recorded in the New Testament: Ephesians 2:20 tells us they are part of its continuing foundation. Nowhere in the New Testament is it implied that they are any less needed today than other ministries such as evangelists, prophets, pastors and teachers. Ephesians 4:12-13 says that they are given until the body of Christ reaches unity of faith and comes to a place of corporate maturity. That clearly has not yet happened! Apostles and all the other ministries are given to equip the church to build itself up until it comes to the fullness of God's intention and to full maturity. Until then, no Ephesians 4 ministry, inclusive of apostles, is redundant. All of them are important.

Apostles are gifts of the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ to his church and as such they occupy the principal place among the equipping ministries (Ephesians 4:7-11, 1 Corinthians 12:28). They are not first because of any sense of superiority but because of their ongoing necessity. Paul himself was outstanding among this order of apostles, describing himself as a 'master builder' concerned with the total design of the building (1 Corinthians 3:10); but there were also several other apostles who were not part of the original Twelve ­ James the brother of Jesus and Barnabas are examples.

Apostles are God's 'special' messengers, commissioned and sent by him with the express purpose of preaching the Kingdom of God and laying Jesus Christ as the foundation in peoples' lives. They establish communities of believers who demonstrate in life lived together in the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit what it means to be the church of Jesus Christ. The description of the church in Acts 2: 41-47 is a vivid example of an apostolic community, living under the order of God.

To help achieve this apostles appoint elders, who have the responsibility to continue the heart and mind of the apostles (and subsequently Christ's) into the church (Acts 14:23). The apostles, elders and the people of God work together in fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20).

It is vitally important to stress that apostles are team players; they do not sit astride the church in a pyramidal structure. Jesus is the unique Head of the church. Neither are they managing directors of a complicated church super-structure. An apostle is not independent. He seeks and values the friendship, counsel and judgement of his fellow workers and the people of God. While clearly having primary leadership they act as the catalyst for the other ministries so that together they can achieve the tremendous privilege that is theirs to prepare God's people for works of service. As such, no Ephesians 4 ministry or elder can live or act independently of one another; they have a corporate responsibility towards God and his people.