How many times do we find the word pastor in the Bible as it relates to a person in
ministry other than Jesus? Only once in
Ephesians 4:11. Evangelist is mentioned 3 times, teacher is mentioned
13 times, prophet is mentioned 172 times but only 71 of those references
are found in the New Testament. What ministerial office is
mentioned most in the New Testament? It is the office of the
apostle. Apostle(s) is referred to 80 times in the New
Testament. Isn't it interesting that the most prominent ministerial
office referred to in the world today (pastor) is only mentioned 1 time in
the New Testament. Yet, the ministerial office most prominent in the
New Testament is the office that is most resisted in the church today!
Why is there such a fight surrounding
the restoration of the office of the apostle? It is because the
devil knows the importance of that gift to the maturity of the church and
he fears its restoration?
So, how many apostles do we find in the
word of God, what are their characteristics and what does that mean to us
today? Well I am glad you asked.
How many apostles do we find in the
word of God?
Let's start with the original 12
apostles.
Matthew 10:2 -4 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
NKJV
We are in the midst of an apostolic
restoration. The office and gift of the apostle is being restored to
the body of Christ. A good friend of mine (Al Houghton) has written
a book called "Marked Men." I highly recommend it.
There are numerous books written today on how to recognize the marks of
the devil. "Marked Men" deals with the marks that you
should find on God's people. You can contact Al through Word
At Work Ministries. The
excerpt below is from "Marked Men" page 2:
Most Christians can identify the
number of Satan's sign but how many of us can name one of the true marks
for believers? God's marks are:
Intercession
Commitment to fullness
Holy Spirit with signs
Adversity
His name
Words that do not fall to the
ground
Purity
Covenant keeping
Intimacy.
While I believe that every believer
today should display these characteristics every five fold minister should
set the example for others to follow. Those who are called as
apostles and given as a gift to the church today will have lives
that have been marked by adversity, humility, and they will be free
from the spirit of mammon. They will not only display the power of
God but they will also display Godly character as well. They will
truly be servant leaders. They will be good stewards not only of
money but also of the gifts and callings in the lives of the people whom God
entrusts to them. They will seek to equip and see each person
fulfill their destiny because they have a revelation of Ephesians
4:11-16. They will understand that we need every person in the body
of Christ to mature and fulfill their destiny so that the body of Christ
might be edified in love. They will encourage teamwork like we've not seen
before in our generation and they will see the big picture. They will think, act and pray
strategically. They will call forth the Army of the Lord (Joel 2)
and they along with all of the five fold will equip the saints to
do the work of the ministry.
These are some of the characteristics I
expect to see displayed by those called to function in the office of the
apostle. Oh Lord, send forth your apostles in holiness displaying
not only your power but your character and love as well.
